Hello, everyone! Thank you to all who read the last chapter. Sorry for the long wait. Thanks to the people who favorited and/or followed this story! It makes me happy people are interested in it!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!
*Please read**Also, for this story to work, it's set up five years after the last book. Also, for Claire to be kindergarten, she had to be born right after the end of the last book, Breaking Dawn. So she's five in this story. And also Jacob is 23 in this story, I know it doesn't quite fit, but please work with me here! I guess that means that this story is AU? Yeah, it is.
Also, Twilight is not mine. Only my OC is mine. None of the characters mentioned in Twilight in this chapter are mine.
Here's the next chapter!
This chapter is dedicated to mrnoodles125. Thanks for the kind words. Without them, I wouldn't have continued this story after chapter one. :)
"Okay, everyone, time to pack up!"
A chorus groans and sad 'awws' from the children warmed her heart. Maya smiled as they headed toward their cubbies, some dragging their feet. She was delighted the students liked her class so much, and they were sad when it was time to leave for the day.
One month into school, Maya felt like her life had finally fallen into place. She woke up each morning excited to see the smiling faces of her students.
Thinking back to the first day of school, it wasn't as easy as today. She had forgotten how much kids missed their parents after they dropped were off for on the first day of kindergarten. For most of the day, she spent it consoling the bawling children who cried after their parents. The days after that one weren't much different.
About a week into school, she was slowly but steadily, earning the trust of the kids using soft words, hugs, and gentle pats.
During a lesson, a child had asked her why she looks different. With her skin having a lighter pigment than the most of her students in her class, she thought it was a fair question.
"Are you Quileute?", asked another.
"Um, no. My family is actually from Mexico, but I was born here in America, in Texas actually", she replied.
She could see why they had asked. Although her skin was not as dark as their russet skin, she was still fairly tan. While the hair of the girls in her class was straight and beautifully black, hers was dark brown and slightly wavy. She made sure to explain to them that although people were different colors or looked different, everyone is the same on the inside. So, everyone isn't that different after all.
Now, she felt her students trusted her wholeheartedly. She decorated the classroom with their colorful drawings and posters to make the room more welcoming. And it worked. The kids were overjoyed to see their paintings, sketches, and crayon doodles placed on the wall as if it were a prized painting made by Picasso. It always amazed her the joy they feel at the smallest things but could mean the world to them.
As the kids pulled on their coats and hats, some found themselves getting caught in the flurry of coats and jackets.
"Miss Maya, I need help!"
"Can you help me please?"
"Help me, Miss Maya!"
Their cries pulled her from the recollections. She chuckled at their distressed faces and walked over to help. Some needed help with caught zippers, others pulling their arms through jacket sleeves, or both. And she glad to assist them.
She smiled softly. These kids had stolen her heart. With their adoring faces and cheerful laughs, they made her job feel like she wasn't working at all.
As the kids filed out of the classroom when their parents came for them, she let them leave with a hug, a "see you tomorrow," and a kiss on the forehead.
Soon, there was just one little girl, Claire Young, left. Maya adored her. The little girl always had a sweet and cheerful demeanor towards Maya and her classmates. She reminded Maya of her siblings back home.
Maya was getting anxious. Claire's mother or sometimes Quil, a family friend, were always punctual to pick her up.
Maya frowned. Where were they?
Looking down at the small child, Maya asked, "Claire, do you know who's picking you up today?"
Claire glanced around the empty classroom with wide eyes and shrugged her tiny shoulders, "I don' know. I think Mommy said Quil."
Wouldn't he have been here already?
Tears were welling up in Claire's dark eyes as she looked up at her teacher. "Miss Maya, did they forget about me? she asked, her voice trembling, moisture threatening to spill over onto her chubby cheeks.
Maya's heart melted at the sight of her upset and knelt in front of her. "Oh, no sweetie, Quil or maybe your mom are probably on their way. They're just running a little late today", Maya consoled. She couldn't bear to see Claire upset. She was looking at Maya with wide eyes, trusting completely in her words.
"Hey, come with me, and we can call your mom using my phone."
Claire nodded and walked with Maya over to the desk.
"Let me pull out your file, and we can give her a call and check if she's on her way," Maya stated. Claire replied with a small okay and proceeded to wipe her damp, rosy cheeks using her coat sleeve.
Maya ran her fingers over the many files in the filing cabinet.
"Okay, little Miss, can you please give me your name?"
"You know my name, Miss Maya!" Claire giggled.
Maya laughed along with her and said jokingly, "Claire Young? That's right! Silly me, how could I forget such a smart and delightful girl like you!"
Claire beamed at her and Maya was glad she was able to make the girl feel better.
Sifting through the filing cabinet and grabbing Claire's file, Maya proceeded to find the phone number.
As her eyes were scanning the page, she hears a surprised gasp and a loud cry of "Uncle Jake!"
Her brows furrow and her head whips around to see Claire dashing, arms raised, towards a man who was gently smiling down at the little girl. Claire, clutching at his massive leg, grinned at him, and said, "Hi Uncle Jake."
Maya had stood from her desk and was walking over to the pair.
"Hey Claire," the man chuckled in a deep, husky voice that made Maya stop in her tracks and her throat go dry. He put his large hand on Claire's head and ruffled her hair, making giggle.
Maya politely cleared her throat to gather the man's attention and to dissipate the sudden feeling. She watched the man's head turn in her direction.
As their gaze met, her eyes widened and she felt it again. The feeling of her breath being stolen right from her lungs. His onyx stare left her feeling defenseless but at the same time safe, almost trusting in his presence. These feelings were foolish. You don't feel this way toward someone you haven't even met. That was wrong. But the way their souls seemed to intertwine said otherwise.
Where had she felt this before?
Maya felt an unexplainable pull toward this man. As if someone were tugging her body with a rope, she felt her feet carry her closer to the strange man. She felt her cheeks flame at the sight of his heavy stare and Maya had to use a surprising amount of strength to stop her feet from going any closer to the stranger.
Sprinting through the forest as a wolf, was the greatest feeling in the world to him. Wind whistling in his sensitive ears and feeling the pliant earth under his wet paws, nothing was better. He felt his worries melted away and time stopped in this form. He felt unbridled strength just waiting to be exerted as his body coiled and stretched. It was exhilarating. He was finishing his patrol around the borders when he felt a mental tug and heard a voice in his head called his name.
"Jake! Jake, man, I have a favor to ask you!"
A chocolate brown wolf came speeding up beside him.
"Quil? What's wrong? What is it?", Jake asked, concerned at the desperation in his friend's voice. Both wolves still speeding through the isolated woods, Jacob's thoughts immediately jumped to the worst.
"Sam is having me do patrol and I completely forgot today is my day to pick up Claire from school."
"Quil, that's it! I thought something bad had happened!" Jake mentally shouted, and Quil winced at the volume ringing in his head.
"This is bad, man! Now I can't pick up Claire", Quil sulked. "Can you go pick her up for me? School ended five minutes ago."
Jake knew this was killing Quil. He would do anything for Claire, her being his imprint and all.
Jake sighed, "Yeah, I got it. Don't worry she's safe with me."
"I know, dude. Thanks, I owe you." With that, Quil veered off and left Jake to race towards the Reservation's elementary school.
After phasing just outside the tree line but still covered by shadows, Jacob stepped into his cut off shorts and tugged on a t-shirt. He walked through the mostly empty parking lot. Making his way to the red brick building, Jacob stepped through the front entrance.
"Never thought I would be back here," he muttered, looking at around and noticing that little had changed since his school days. Same gray and white tile flooring and cream colored walls, other than added years of wear and tear, things looked unchanged.
And if he remembered correctly, the front office was to his right. Quil had conveniently forgotten to tell him what classroom Claire was in. Looks like he was going to have to find out for himself.
After a walking down the narrow hallway, he came across the very room he was searching for. Peering in, he saw a woman typing swiftly on her keyboard, eyes never straying from the screen. Jacob stepped in.
"Hello?" he called.
Only with his interruption did the woman look up from the screen, her hands idling. "Yes, can I help you, young man?", asked the plump woman, voicing the question in a patient tone.
Scratching his head, he replied, "Yeah, I'm here to pick up my, um, niece but I forgot the room number she's in."
"You know, school ended half an hour ago", she commented. Jacob grimaced. An amused smile spread across her face at the sight of his discomfort. "What's the girl's name?"
Jacob grimaced. An amused smile spread across the lady's face at the sight of his discomfort. "What's the girl's name?"
"Claire Young," he replied.
The woman typed it in the computer, and her eyes darted across the screen. "Oh yes, Claire Young, room 10. It's down this hall, the very last room on your right."
"Alright, thank you," responded Jacob, itching to leave the cramped room and away from the woman's scrutinizing gaze. The woman just hummed in response and went back to typing away at her computer.
Stepping out of the office, Jacob walked quietly down the hall.
A nostalgic smile grew on his face. He remembered being much smaller than the other kids in his class. Look at him now, he grinned. He stretched his body and let his fingertips drag against the ceiling as he continued his way down the hallway.
Room eight... room nine... room ten.
He let his hand come back down beside him as he came closer to the classroom. He heard voices and then laughing. One laugh, in particular, stuck out to him. To his ears, it seemed like music, gentle and happy. He found himself wanting to listen to it again. His brow furrowed at the thought.
Stepping into the empty classroom, he saw Claire standing by who he guessed, was her teacher. Said teacher was looking away and down at something on her desk, not yet noticing his presence. Once Claire turned and caught his eye, she let out a delighted gasp, her face morphing into astonishment. His name flew from her mouth and came bounding towards him, arms raised.
He smiled at her antics, and the girl threw her arms around his leg. "Hi Uncle Jake," she greeted. Jacob chuckled.
"Hey Claire," he replied. His massive hand covered her small head and gave it a soft rub.
He heard soft footsteps coming towards them, and a timid noise caught their attention, turning their heads towards the sound.
Jacob looked down and gazed into the sweetest pair of brown eyes he had ever seen. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away and by the looks of it, she couldn't either. Her eyes widened as she looked into his.
Those eyes. Jacob remembered them. The same ones from that night during patrol. Something told him to turn his head and he saw a figure looking at him, eyes shining while the rest of the face was covered in shadow. Jacob felt a pull to get closer to the house, to inspect the silhouette and discover the identity of the figure.
But before he was able to take a step forward, he was interrupted by Sam's call to reunite the pack, night shift being over.
Looking at this woman, his heart faltering and his breath catching in his chest, something inside him clenched, tugged, and finally snapped. He felt his world shift and morph to accommodate her and only her. He felt his body heat rise, pleasantly warming him all over. It was the same feeling he had that night in the woods. He swallowed thickly to rid the lump that had formed in his throat at the realization.
Well shit, he thought, amazed and taken aback. Did he just imprint?
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. I would very much appreciate it! Taking it slow is hard when you want these two to meet so badly, but here it is! Sorry it took so long!
Next chapter: Maya's thoughts on Jake and more!
*I got the line "...looked down into the sweetest brown eyes I had ever seen," from a fanfic I read called Black (T) by CSI Clue. But I changed it so I wouldn't get into trouble with copyright or something. I really liked the line, and I thought the sentence was very romantic and in a way, innocent. I would check it out if you liked the movie Crimson Peak or if you like gothic romances! Oh, but it's rated M, so don't read if you don't like that stuff. [Like I do ;) Hehehe.]
Until the next chapter! Again, please review!
