Top o' the evening to you all. I'm still on vacation in another state, but insomnia has taken over, as well as Vesperarium, Cullen City, the Lexicon, Dane Cook (yes, Dane Cook), and more books (none of which are the required novels I should be reading before school starts; because God forbid I should finish my homework early). I have a huge headache, so I'll keep this chapter's notes short and sweet.

Flower language: Meadow Saffron means "My best days are past."

WARNING: Kyla does get a bit more...colorful with words in this chapter. I suggest getting ready for a little profanity here and there.

Chapter Four --- MEADOW SAFFRON

The tantalizing aroma of food wafted into my dreams and eyes slowly worked their way open. In one glance I could tell this was not my bedroom, let alone my house, but all the same, it felt safe and protected. I sat up and stretched my arms into the quiet shadows, gently waving through the moon's soft blue glow. The sound of a swift click made my eyes shift through the pitch black surrounding me, followed by an abrupt white light that stung my vision.

"Morning, Ms. Sleeping Beauty," Embry grinned, then glanced at the window behind me. "Or I guess I should say, 'Evening.'"

I rubbed my forehead and blinked away the tears from my already swollen eyes. "What time is it?"

"A few minutes past midnight."

My senses went on high alert as I felt the air get knocked out of me again, only this time it was less literal. "I've got to get back home," I choked out, pulling back the covers. As soon as I jumped up and stiffened by body, a rush of light-headedness pulled me back down. Just before I hit the hard, wooden floor, the corner of my eye caught sight of a tall figure bounding through the door.

"Easy there." Jacob's large arms lifted me up and his words of solace rang at the back of my head. "If you didn't notice the bandages covering a good length of your body, you should know you've lost a lot of blood."

"Let me…" I gasped, clutching a nearby dresser for support. "…Let me call Quil."

Embry started. "But you need to―"

"Get me a phone, now!"

For a few brief moments, only the sound of my jagged breathing filled the room. My eyes moved quietly to the side and saw Jacob nod, his focus on a stunned Embry. Embry staggered out of the room, nearly tripping on a door frame. I couldn't blame him; the volume and tone of my usually soft-spoken voice had surprised even me. I made a note to apologize profusely once I got my sanity back.

Jacob and I said nothing as we waited and kept our own eyes averted from the other. Or, at least, I did. My body, draped in a lavender nightgown, had frozen into a statue on the floor, while he took a seat on the bed behind me. I could feel his stare boring into my back. For a moment, it felt like neither of us was breathing, simply watching like animals for the other to make the first move.

I wasn't about to go down anytime soon, but before I could discover if Jacob was any better, Embry walked swiftly through the open door. He thrust a cell phone at me without a word, but one peer into his eyes revealed he was shaking, as if resisting smacking me for earlier. Which I might have let him do, if the issue of Quil finding himself with a late and bruised sister weren't a possibility.

I dialed and held the phone up, my arm shaking almost as badly as Embry's had. If there's one thing you learn from living with a guy for fifteen years, it's that there will be some very unpleasant conversations.

"Hello?" His voice sounded much too awake for someone who was usually found snoring at these hours.

"…Quil?"

"Kyla?" He groaned; whether with relief or anger, I couldn't tell. But I had a feeling I was about to find out. "God, do you know what time it is? I told you to be home in time for dinner!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but―"

"I was this close to calling the cops to send out a search party, Kyla! If Emily hadn't called me, both of us would be in some deep crap with Mom and Dad. You know that!"

"Look, it wasn't my fault!" I yelled into the receiver so he couldn't interrupt. "Way to treat your traumatized sister who could've died today!"

There was silence on the other end. Again, I didn't know if he was about to burst out laughing with incredulity or soften and comfort me with support.

"Quil?"

"What happened?" he asked. His voice was stern and reminded me of Dad's when he had interrogated us about the bonfire fiasco.

I sighed. "It's a long story. Just…Just let me sleep here at…Emily's," I glanced at Embry for conformation and he nodded once, "tonight. I promise I'll be back by breakfast. Before you even wake up."

"If I only had a nickel for every time you threw me that line…"

I bit my lip and listened patiently for his answer.

"Fine," he caved in. "But I'll be up to see if you make good on that promise."

I felt a smile extend across my face and winced at the not-so-recovered split in my lip. "See you in the morning then."

"You better," he warned. "'Night."

I heard the dial tone set in and handed the phone back to Embry.

"Thanks," I tried to say with a friendly, throbbing smile.

He glanced down and sent me a brief smirk of his own before walking out, leaving Jakey-boy and me all alone again. But while I was still against looking him in the eye, was no longer in the mood for silence contests.

"I'm going to ask this once and you better not even so much as try to bullshit me. What the hell happened this afternoon?"

I could hear him budge uncomfortably on the bed; ironic, given where I was.

"While we're young, please."

"Sam should be the one to explain it. My ears twitched at the sound of his body leave the bed and his feet approach my knees. He offered his hand, but I stubbornly ignored it and lifted myself up, slowly this time as to not take any unprecedented spills.

Jacob led me to the kitchen, where four exhausted faces sat at the table and one lively yet scarred face lit up.

"Good to see you again, Kyla."

It didn't take much digging to remember who she was. The soon-to-be Mrs. Samuel Uley, also known as Emily. I'd seen her around town a few times, but even those who had never met Emily would recognize her the instant she stepped into the room. Her beauty was as clear as drops of morning dew hanging carelessly onto the leaves of me backyard apple tree. Yet, the dark scars embedded into her face were just as noticeable, and I caught myself before I could turn my head away rudely.

"Hello, Emily," I said shyly, focusing into the light brown of her eyes that sparkled in unison with the stars outside the window.

She smiled back, assertive and motherly. "Please, take a seat." She flicked the back of the head closest to her. The owner mumbled some unintelligent words and stood up to the side of the kitchen sink.

"Thanks," I muttered through the boy's death glare as I took his place.

Emily pushed a tray of cookies in front of me, and I nibbled away on chocolate-chip. There was an intense silence of utter dread crawling all over the room. The eldest-looking ― Sam Uley, the Jedi mind master himself, I pegged ― finally gave way.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, Kyla, and I'll be happy to answer them." I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up a finger. "Now I'll try to explain it all as quickly and simply as I can, but trust me when I say there is nothing simple about the lives we lead."

"We?"

"The boys and I. We're ―"

"― the scum of the earth?" I spat out, forgetting my place as the guest who could ever-so-easily get booted out into the freezing, dark abyss of midnight. "You owe those two psychos from the forest money or something? Or are they your friends? Because truth be told, I can't say I'd be surprised."

The boy who had given up his seat for me scoffed loudly. "As if we'd be anything to those disgusting sons of ―"

"Paul." Sam shot him a look of authority that shut the poor guy up faster than you can say "female dogs."

The Jedi scum turned back to me. "No, we don't know exactly who those two people were, but we do know they're the ones behind the murders in the city.

"No shit, Sherlock. Tell me, what gave them away: their worn-out clothes or the blood smeared like paint all over their bodies?"

He rubbed his head. Obviously, I wasn't complying as easily as he thought I would.

"So what?" I could feel the blood pumping through my veins. "Are you playing police now?"

The only boy I hadn't had direct contact with spoke up from his seat at the table. "Not police. Protectors."

Paul rolled his dark eyes. "Way to make it sound corny, Jared."

I laughed haughtily. "Protectors? What are you, the Justice League? Saving the planet, one alien invader at a time?"

"One vampire at a time."

I won't lie; my laughter didn't stop. In fact, it got louder.

"It's true, Kyla."

"Black, please. The Cold Ones?" I swung my seat towards Embry who had a guilty expression over his face that gave me enough reason to think he actually thought his friend was right. "Even I remember the way you, me, Quil, and even Jakey-boy here would laugh at the legends." I turned back to Jacob. "You can't stand there, look me in the eye, and tell me you're serious."

He leaned forward and down to my eye level, hands resting casually against his stained jeans and eyes drilling into mine. "I'm serious."

I swallowed back nervously and tried to look away, failing miserably. What were with this his eyes? I swear it was worse than staring into the sun. I thanked the heavens, and had to viciously repress a grin, when he broke off with a yawn.

Emily and Embry chuckled for me. The quiet boy at the end of the table involuntarily mimicked Jacob. Paul stood his ground with a tight scowl, but I could see his eyes glaze over from yawning on this inside. Sam merely closed his eyes and smoothed his hair back, his fiancé behind him, softly massaging his shoulders.

"Sorry," Jacob apologized, turning a slight shade of pink in the moonlight. "My point is you have to face the facts, Kyla."

"What facts?"

"You were down but not out cold. Those leeches didn't taste your skin for nothing."

I searched frantically for an excuse that would keep me the sane one in the room. "Okay, let's say those two 'fed' on me. If I remember the legends correctly, that would make me a vampire now." I walked over to the fridge, dug around, and dangled a piece of raw, bloody meat. "Sorry, but not very appetizing."

"Jacob saved you, Kyla," Embry blurted out. "He sucked out the crap that makes a person turn."

Paul sneered. "Yeah. You're lucky I wasn't there. I wouldn't have hesitated two seconds to take you out before the process was finished."

My mind had a flashback. "Then get Paul and Jared. We don't really have a choice here. Do you really want to see her turn into that?"

I stood up and glowered at Sam, eyes flashing with accusing recognition. "You were going to have Embry kill me!"

Paul clapped mockingly. "Ah, she remembers."

"Paul, give it a rest," Jacob snarled.

"Well it took the twit long enough to believe us," he snarled right back.

"Don't be such a rude jackass. Apologize to her."

"Make me, pretty boy. What? You can't be with that bloodsucker lover, so now you're making moves on Quil's little sister? Real smooth, Fabio."

"Jacob!" Sam shouted, but it was too late. Jacob tackled Paul until they were rolling out the door, and everyone ran outside as if to help separate the two. From the looks of the brawl, though, that seemed highly unlikely. It kept switching between Paul being on top of Jacob with his hands around his neck, and Jacob being on top of Paul with his fists pulled back into every punch. This little fight didn't shock me, worry me, or even amuse me. I had seen it, and lived through it, far too often with Quil.

No, it wasn't until I heard a sharp crack in the air that the duo finally got my attention. I watched in disbelief as the two boys wrestling each other on the ground shook into two, gigantic wolves. The silver one bared its fangs at its auburn opponent and attempted to snap at his face. The auburn wolf gracefully dodged the attack, and circled his assailant, head-butting him farther into the dark green stillness of the woods I looked back to the miniature crowd of onlookers nestled back at the door. Sam looked at Emily with an apologetic smile, to which she responded with a fierce kiss. I turned away uncomfortably, just in time to see Sam shed his shirt and chase the wolves into the distance.

"Kyla, why don't you come back in? It feels like sub-zero out here," Emily called out with a wave. "You can change back into your clothes after they finish drying and Embry can escort you back home."

"Thank you." I felt ashamed at my manners from earlier and was about to say so when she put a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be alright," she reassured me and rotated around to Jared. "Go get some clothes and bring it out to them."

"I don't see anything wrong with leaving them out in the cold for a while…" he muttered tiredly.

Emily's right eyebrow lifted and a mischievous smile played across the right half of her lip. "You know what? I don't either."

Jared gave Embry a high five and turned towards the living room.

"But Sam doesn't have a lesson to learn here, so you still have to bring his clothes out," she said, dumping a pile of fabric on his head.

Jared grudgingly slipped his shoes on, clothes under his arm, and ran outside.

"Go back to sleep, Kyla. It's been a long night." Emily gently pushed me toward the stairs. "I'll wake you up early, don't worry."

I smiled at her as I tip-toed up the steps, stopping at the top before walking back into the room where I had awoken. Embry and Emily's voices were far but clear in the tranquil hush of the night.

"Quite the night it's been, hasn't it, Embry?"

"I feel bad she had to find out like that though…No humans were supposed to get involved." His voice was full of honest remorse. He'd be getting a mouthful of the 'You Think I Liked Being Kept in the Dark?' speech tomorrow morning.

"Honey, you're preaching to the choir. Who do you think was the first non-supernatural being to get involved?" Her voice was playful yet morose and reminiscent.

"Sorry."

They stopped talking for so long that I got up, ready to give into my aching body's pleads for rest.

"Was it just me, or was Kyla finding out very 'Déjà vu?'" Emily asked.

"No…It's not just you. I could hear the others thinking about her too."

"And Jacob?"

"Do you even have to ask? He's got it the worst of all. Paul was a real jerk to bring her up like that. I say if Jake got a bite out of him out there, he deserved it."

"You know he's just stressed. We're all tired of this war, Embry."

"Well, he better get used to it because this war isn't anywhere close to over. It's just beginning, and we can't save every human like we did Kyla. Turning on the TV proves that. This is big, Emily. And if we're going to get through this, the pack has to stick together. Losing it could mean a loss for us all."

There were footsteps walking toward the stairs, so I crept into my room as fast as my legs could carry me.

A war? Somebody failed to mention that little tidbit to me. And who did they keep talking about? What did Paul mean when he told Jacob, "You can't be with that bloodsucker lover?" I flopped down on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"It'll be alright," Emily's voice repeated in my mind.

I turned on my side and faced the wall, my eyes giving out to fatigue.

Somehow, Emily, I don't think it will.

Thank you for reading! I hope it was alright. I haven't read New Moon in a while, so I was afraid some of the pack may have been OOC here.

Anywho...I'm about to pass out here. My head is splitting and my stomach is heaving. Lovely visual, I know.

So I'll give you the names of the actual next two chapters: Chapter Five is "Tuberose" (special appearances of Begonias) and Chapter Six will be a semi-short chapter titled "Green Locust Tree." Have fun interpreting if you like. Again, thank you for reading!