The Road is a Minefield
Chapter 3

Fairy Tales are Make Believe

Paul didn't come back right away like a part of me expected him to. I was a little disappointed and a little relieved at the same time. He wouldn't be there to watch me freak out, like I was sure I was about to do. But it felt weird to be away from him now. So when Embry ushered everyone into his house I couldn't help but look behind me to see if he was there. Of course, he wasn't. Not like I cared.

Because I didn't care.

Leah and Seth took seats on the couch, my dad squeezing in next to Seth. Quil and Embry occupied the other couch. Billy rolled himself near my dad and Jared plopped himself on the floor. Emily and Kim stayed standing.

Everyone stared up at me expectantly. What am I supposed to do? Suddenly my thoughts seemed silly. I had to sit. That's what I had to do. I sat down on the floor, right where I was standing. It felt like I was in the center of the room and that everybody was surrounding me; but it wasn't like that; it was far from that. It just felt like that because all their eyes were glued to me. My gaze was glued to the floor as if the patterns on Billy's carpet were really interesting.

"Nice carpet, Billy, really, uh, pretty?"

"What was that, dear?"

This was what I despised about situations like this. I always got nervous and rattled the first thing that popped into my head, which wasn't the brightest of ideas at times.

"Uh, nothing."

Great, first I say I saw Paul change into a wolf, now I'm telling Billy his carpet is nice! Way to make them think I'm mental.

"So," Dad started.

My eyes were on the carpet again. "Soooo."

"Well..."

"Well."

"Hmmm."

"Hmmm..."

"Stop it, you two!" Billy sighed, mumbling something about my father and me behaving like children. I giggled. Dad was probably pouting with his head hung low.

"Nikki, what you saw outside – "

"About that, guys. I think I must've been delusional or something, I mean Embry knocked me down pretty hard. It was probably my imagination, or something."

"What you saw was real," Seth continued, but the relevance slipped my mind.

"I mean, Embry's pretty tough. It felt like I ran into a wall or – what?" I stopped blabbering when I finally registered what Seth had just said. "Are you serious?"

"One hundred percent."

"That's impossible, Seth. That's like saying vampires are real."

Everyone fell silent and shared looks, even my dad. "Oh, come on! You can't tell me you believe vampires and werewolves are real!"

Silence.

"You've got to be kidding me."

They shook their heads.

What is this? Are they trying to make fun of me? Is dad in on it too? Is this like some strange initiation or something?

"Are you trying to embarrass me?" My voice was soft, squeaking at the end. I hadn't intended on my voice failing me and showing how hurt I was, but things didn't seem like they were going my way anyhow.

"What? No!" Embry was the first to object.

"We'd never do that!"

"We're telling you the truth, Shrimp!"

"Bien-aimé, they're telling the truth."

Incredulously, I turned to gawk at my dad. "You believe them?"

"Of course!"

"Y-you..." I struggled to find the words. How can I express how...how hurt I feel? "How can you believe them?"

"Bien-aimé... I trust Billy and the kids."

"Ne pas m'appeler le bien-aimé," by this time, I was shouting.

The guys had all stopped talking. None of them were aware of what I had said to my dad, but they all knew – by the tone of my voice – that it hadn't been pleasant.

"Penser rationnellement, le chéri."

"Penser rationnellement? Penser rationnellement?" The anger and embarrassment surged through me, rushing through my veins. I stood up, on the verge of screaming at the top of my lungs. "How can I think rationally, when you're not?"

My dad didn't say a word; he just stared at me with those big, sad eyes, disapproval evident in his gaze.

"Ne pas me regarder comme ça, papa. You know I'm right!"

Storming out of the house, I slammed the door behind me as loudly as I could. Had I been strong enough, the house would have trembled. I couldn't believe how the night had turned out. I'd actually gone, even though I'd planned on running, then taking a nice shower and hitting the sack. But instead, I went to the bonfire, just like Paul had asked.

Paul...

I couldn't even think about him. I forced myself to think about something else. If I grazed the subject of Paul, I'd drive myself insane just thinking about what he wanted with me. Instead, I focused on the nature and the sounds around me. Anything to calm me down.

Dad had the only car we owned and I didn't plan on walking back and asking him for a ride. So there I was, walking along the forest, headed home. It was already dark and there weren't any cars on the road; it was just me and the quietness of the night. The night breeze was louder than it usually was to me. The moon was brighter too, as I looked up at it.

Ha, it's a full moon.

"How ironic." Sarcasm laced my words. What were the chances that I had thought I'd seen Paul change- along with the guys telling trying to tell me werewolves were real- and it was a full moon? Talk about horror movie cliché.

Something in the woods rustled behind me. I turned my head, but nothing was there. I sped up my pace. Nothing too bad to worry about, right? It was probably it was just a little animal or something. Still, I walked faster than I normally would have.

The woods were quiet after that, for a while.

A few minutes later, it happened again and just like the first time, when I turned around no one was there. Needless to say, I freaked out. I was getting the horror movie feeling. You know, the one where you're watching a scene and you see the stupid girl turn around but nothings there and she just keeps walking and you scream for her to put her ass in gear and run? Yeah, that one.

I was running down the street toward my house as fast as my legs could take me. My breath was coming out short and labored because of my running so it didn't help when I started to panic – after hearing more rustling – thinking that something was following me. My house – oh the glorious sight – came into view quickly. I pushed myself harder; willed my legs to run faster. It was just a short distance and I'd be home free.

Agh! If it wasn't for Paul I'd be home safe, instead of running for my life!

"Stupid Paul," I huffed as I climbed the stairs up to my porch.

From behind me, in the forest, I heard what I thought was the sound of wolf whimpering. For a second, it sounded a lot like Paul.

That's stupid.

I grabbed the door to open it. "No." It was locked. And I didn't have my keys.

"Spare key, spare key, spare key..."

Where did we hide the key!? I'm going to die. I'm going to die!

Finally I found the key. It was hiding in under the ugly flower pot my dad bought thinking it would "brighten" the place up. Obviously he was wrong, as it now was a symbol of death to me. I fumbled with the key, trying to open the door. When the key slid in and it was open, I pushed the door fiercely, slamming it shut and locking it behind me.

At that moment – after that door slammed – it was like my world crashed down on me. Everything that happened, every emotion I'd felt, came rushing back to me, like it was slamming against me. My legs could no longer support me and I fell to the floor, crying.

Why was this happening? La Push was supposed to be a normal place. This new home was supposed to make me forget my sadness, not create a whole new one!

Out of anger I balled my fists and slammed them against the floor, pounding until my hands throbbed.

"I'm supposed to be happy here!"

I heard it again, another howl, this time farther off. It was back in the direction of First Beach. Maybe it was Paul? Maybe it was him I'd heard in the forest, following me and protecting me, making those rustling noises. The guys, maybe they were telling me the truth. Maybe these vampires and werewolves existed and they weren't trying to embarrass me.

No, that's ridiculous.

That would mean that all those fairy tales weren't just make believe.

That would mean that out there, in those woods, there were things far more dangerous than wild animals.

No. That idea was completely and utterly ridiculous.


Hey there!

I got another chapter out, WOO-HOO! Mucho thanks to Spinkle22 my amazing and wonderful beta, wihthout whom, this story would probably be less enjoyable. Yay for Spinky!
And thank you also to those of you who have been reviewing! I didn't expect that many reviews!! :O I got 11 reviews for the last chapter! How fantastic is that? You guys are AWESOME and I appreciate you guys so much. :)

So keep up the reviews, 10+ and I'll bake everyone some brownies... You'll have to figure out how to get it through the computer, though. :D

RECAP ( because I can): So the guys tried to tell her, but she doesn't believe them, she thinks they're making fun of her. But her question is, why does her father believe them? Why isn't he freaked out about they're behavior? And as if that wasn't bad enough, she was followed by something. She even has a tiny breakdown.

French: Bien-aimé: Sweetheart
Ne pas m'appeler le bien-aimé: Don't call me sweetheart
Penser rationnellement, le chéri: Think rationally, darling.
Ne pas me regarder comme ça, papa: Don't look at me that way, papa.

Leave me reviews- remember 10+ !! - and tell me you're answer to this question: Why isn't her father freaked out about eveyrthing and why does he believe them?!