This is ridiculous!
Alix thought angrily in her wolf form.
Jake ignored her. He was extremely graceful, loping through the tall green grass. His fur was dark brown. It was close to being black. Alix wondered what she looked
like as she silently followed him. Jake ignored her thought again. Whatever. She sensed that she was getting stronger too. That didn't mean that she was happy
about it. Her, a wolf?! Alix thought she was going crazy. Maybe this was all a seriously messed up dream; or nightmare. She just hadn't woken up yet.
Yes, that had to be it. Alix thought.
Sorry sis. But this is real. Dad'll explain. Here we are.
What?
Alix. It's me, Dad.
There in front of her was a beautiful big, brown wolf staring straight at her. Alix's legs wobbled.
Alix? Calm down. I'm right here with you. There's probably a lot going through your mind...
Jake bark-laughed quietly. What an understatement...
Alix growled at him. Shut up. I bet you were no different.
Actually. Jacob thought to get his daughter's attention. Jake here was ecstatic. He'd rather accept being a werewolf than having to be responsible for his messed up ride.
Jake started to tremble with laughter. Alix shot a look at him and he shot through the trees away from his sister.
I think this is worse than going through puberty.
Jacob snorted. I bet. Hey, you want to try to turn human again?
Hell yeah!
Ok then. Just try to calm yourself way down. Think of something that makes you really happy.
Ugh. Easier said then done. I just turned to a freaking werewolf!
Stop saying it like its a bad thing! We, werewolves, are protectors. We have one common enemy to protect others from.
Stop. Let me guess. Zombies?
No. Close. Vampires.
Oh God.
Are you alright?
This..this...this is so stupid! And crazy as anything I've ever seen!
You're not going to turn back human with an attitude like that.
Ready?
...Give me a minute. I can do this.
Uh, Dad?
Alix?
It's not working!!
-sigh-That's because you're not trying hard enough. Look, I'm sure that you've got a crush from La Push. As much as I hate to say and see it, think about him. It'll calm you
down tremedously.
Dad!
I-
Ok! Let me concentrate...
"OMG. DAD!! I did it! And...oh no."
She was naked as the day she was born.
So she screamed.
And then blacked out.
"Ah, Alix..." Jacob sighed.
He had his clothes tightly tied around his leg. He slid an extra pair of jeans and a shirt onto his daughter.
Now she only had one thing to worry about.
Jacob growled at himself as he picked up his daughter. He couldn't believe that today of all days she had to turn. Why not the weekend? Why now? And most
importantly, what had ticked her off so easily?
Jacob tilted his head. He heard a rustling in the bushes. Then he smiled.
"So, she fainted huh?" Jake laughed.
"Yep. She turned human and found out that wolves don't wear clothes. So now we have to explain why she missed her first day of high school."
Jake nodded.
"Uh, Jake? What ticked her off?"
Jake averted his eyes from his father.
"Well, I saw Wes..."
Jacob became immediately angry.
"What did Wes do to Alix?" He demanded, slightly disturbing Alix.
Jake sighed. "Well, Wes started acting all..weird. He, um, he started playing with her hair and putting his arm on her shoulder and.."
"And?"
"..and nibbling on her ear." Jake whispered, mentally wincing.
Jacob started to tremble violently.
Jake's eyes opened wide. "Dad! Think about Alix! You'll hurt her!"
Jake grabbed Alix out of his father's arms and held her close. His father put his hands up to his head and took in deep breaths trying to calm himself down. It
seemed to work a little.
Or not.
Jacob growled as he burst out of his skin and clothing. Jake was now faced with a big and angry wolf.
Jake put Alix carefully down on the forest floor and transformed into a wolf himself.
I'm so sorry son. It's been a long time since I had trouble holding my form.
Dad, promise me you won't go after him. I have a feeling that Alix will take care of it herself.
Jacob snarled violently.
Fine. But he'd better stay out of my way. Or else I'll rip him to shreds.
I'll join you.
Jacob laughed. I was joking. We can't just kill him. It'd have to be carefully planned to look like..never mind. I shouldn't be thinking this. We need to get Alix home.
Jake nodded and both of them turned back. Jacob put on his third set of clothes (a werewolf is always prepared) and picked up Alix yet again. After checking that
Jake had a pair of clothes to change into, Jacob ran full speed out of the forest and towards their house.
'Ah, shoot. Bella is not going to like this.' Jacob hesitated and let his son go ahead of him into the house. He'd rather dodge his wife's wrath for as long as he could.
Bella would be furious that her child was missing school because of some abnormal quirk in her genes. She'd accept Alix as easily as she accepted Jacob and Jake.
But she wasn't going to accept Alix missing school.
Then Jacob got an idea. If he mentioned what Wes did, maybe Bella would forget about being mad at him. It was worth a shot.
"Um, Bells? Could you come here?" Jacob hesitantly called out.
Bella carefully and slowly made her way to the front room. She froze when she saw Alix limp in Jacob's arms.
"It happened, didn't it?" Bella whispered, rushing to Alix.
She felt her daughter's forehead and that was proof enough. Alix was burning up.
Jacob sighed and laid his daughter gently onto the couch. He looked at his wife.
"Should we send her back? Or let her get used to this a while?" Jacob asked, worried.
Bella bit her lip. "I'm not sure. Jake seemed to bounce back quickly. We just have to see how Alix deals with this. Doesn't look like she's off to a good start."
Jake snicked from behind them.
"I assume she fainted?"
Jacob nodded guiltily.
"When?"
"After she realized that when you turn back into a human, you don't have the bare essentials on. Luckily, Jake had taken off by then."
Jake shook his head, making a face. "I think I would have been scarred for eternity." He flung himself on the couch next to his sister.
He poked her. "Hey, when is she waking up? She's already missed three periods at school."
Bella jumped suddenly like something had shocked her. "Jake! There's no reason for you to be missing school right now. Just tell them that there was a family
emergency that you couldn't avoid. At least that's half true. Try to talk to Leah at the main office. She'll understand."
Jacob groaned. "She'll have him there for hours if he talks to her. She always wanted another girl werewolf to be in the pack."
Bella giggled. "I wonder how Alix will feel then?"
Jake rolled his eyes at his parents an jumped up.
"Alright. I'm going now. I hope I haven't missed anything important Alix." Jake said, frowning at his sleeping sister.
"Goodbye Jake." Bella smiled and pushed him out the door.
Then she turned to Jacob.
Jacob cringed, waiting for the blows to start.
Bella rubbed her face and sighed.
"I'm not mad or whatever you think I am, Jacob. I understand that this had to happen sometime. I just wish it wasn't today. She was so excited. I hope she can
accept who she is now."
Jacob closed his eyes. This calm and sad Bella hurt him more than when she was angry. Maybe she should have gone with the leech...No. He couldn't think that way.
"I'm sure she'll bounce back. She'll be the same Alix we know and love." Jacob rubbed Bella's back soothingly.
Bella turned away from him to tend to her daughter. Jacob put his arm down to his side and went upstairs to his bedroom.
Bella sighed when she knew she was alone with Alix. She couldn't keep pretending like this. She knew and Jacob knew that their relationship was strained. She
missed him a lot.
'I can't love two men at the same time. I thought I had chosen the right one.' Bella thought sadly.
Upstairs, Jacob head was in his hands. Tears leaked out onto the floor slowly, one by one.
'No Bella. No. We have to fix this. I love her so much. I can't loose her again. I won't loose her to that leech or anybody else, dead or alive.' Jacob thought angrily.
He swiped the tears away off of his face and sat up in bed. He had to be strong. He had to keep his family together, especially right now. Alix was at a critical and
confusing point in her young teenage life. So many things were happening to her that weren't her fault. Now she had to deal with being a werewolf in high school
where a whole lot of things could easily go amiss and set her off. Jacob was sure that he and Alix were going to have to take a week or two off and focus on control.
Jacob took in a deep breath and held it there. Then he let it out and went downstairs.
"I'm going out." He said, his voice husky. He didn't even look up at Bella, afraid that his voice had already given too much away.
"Ok." Bella replied softly. "Be safe. I love you."
Jacob's heart stuttered for a moment.
Then it restarted as he said. "I will. I love you too, Bella."
Bella had a small smile on her face as Jacob went out the door. It was the first smile she had in months.
"Mo-om?"
Bella ran into her daughter's bedroom, tripping on the way.
"Oh, you're finally awake! I've been so worry Alix!" Bella sobbed over her.
Alix frowned and offered her mom a kleenex. "Mom, what happened? I keep having weird dreams."
"Tell me about them." Bella smiled, smoothing out her daughter's ruffled brown hair.
Alix pursed her lips as she thought. "Well, it had a lot to do with werewolves. And dad and Jake were there. And I was on a bus..."
Alix paused and her eyes went wide as saucers. "No frickin way."
Bella frowned. "Alix?" She said worriedly.
Tears started to come down Alix's face. "Mom. I. Missed. It."
"What did you miss Alix? Sweetie?" Bella was getting scared.
"SCHOOL! I MISSED MY FIRST FRICKIN DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL!" Alix screamed. She threw her pillow at a wall and ripped open her mattress.
Bella had jumped off the bed by now. She had to calm Alix down before she did something she'd regret later.
"Alix, calm down. Please." Bella pleaded with her. "Remember what happened last time!"
Alix frowned and started to thrash around in her bed. "I don't want to be a monster! I'm not a monster!" She hollered like she was on fire.
"Oh no." Bella whispered as she saw her daughter begin to shake.
"Jake. Jake. JACOB!" Bella shouted, her voice getting louder and stronger.
Bella ran as fast as she could out of Alix's room. She grabbed the phone just as she heard a thunderous roar coming from upstairs.
"Please don't let me be too late." Bella whispered as she dialed the numbers on the phone.
"Hello?" A deep, husky voice answered.
"Oh Jacob! She's changed again! I'm so scared. I don't know what to do and she's so mad and confused right now!" Bella sobbed into the floor.
Then she dropped the phone.
"Bella?? Bella?!" Jacob cried loudly as he heard the phone land on the linoleum floor.
In the Blacks' living room was a full-fledged werewolf.
"Alix.." Bella whispered.
Alix whimpered at her mother.
No mom. I don't want to hurt you. Help me.
"Bella?! I'll be there as fast as I can." Jacob shouted frantically. He didn't want Bella to get hurt. He hoped that Alix could control her temper until he got there.
Bella breathed slowly through her nose as she edged slowly away from Alix. Alix feinted to the right, measuring her mother's steps.
"Alix. Sweetheart, it'll be alright." Bella tried to sound convincing as her heart hammered in her chest.
Alix gently growled and shook her head up and down as if agreeing with her.
Bella exhaled heavily. She went and sat cautiously on the couch. She knew Alix wouldn't hurt her but she had to be careful.
Then the door swung open wide.
"Jacob!" Bella jumped up and ran into her husband's arms.
"It's ok, baby. Alix won't hurt you." Jacob said softly, stroking her hair. His eyes were focused on Alix.
"Alix, come on outside. I need to talk to you." Jacob said, moving towards the open door.
Alix barked at her dad and went out the door. Bella closed her eyes and wobbled slightly.
Jacob noticed and sat her down after steadying her.
"Bella, just sleep now. You must be stressed. I'll bring in dinner tonight." Jacob assured her gently.
Bella nodded, her head on the couch cushions.
Jacob kissed her forehead and quickly dashed out of the room towards his daughter.