"How did it go?" Jacob was by my side within the second I stepped in the door.
I sat down next to him on the couch. The whole pack was over for some reason. It must be about the newborns. And that worried me a little. There's never good news when it comes to the newborns.
I had made this plan when I was on the way home. I was going to trick Jake. I was going to let him think I hadn't gotten it. I was going to watch him try and comfort me for a little and tell me how they were stupid for not giving it to me. Yes, it's cruel. But I couldn't resist.
However, my plan crumbled to the ground as soon as I saw Jake's hopeful brown eyes. "I got it" I said through the biggest smile.
Jake's eyes lit up and he pulled me closer. He squeezed my sides and kissed me a few twice. "That's great! I'm so happy for you!" And he was. I could see it in his eyes. They were bright and reflecting the low light in the living room. There was no trace of the worry that was there the first time I told him I wanted a job. But then again, that's probably because it's in La Push and extremely close to his house.
"Nice job Emma!" Sam said and hugged me quick. Sam's not much of a touchy-feely guy. I think he'd have rather shook my hand but he found it in himself to hug me instead.
"I can't wait to mess with you" Seth teased. Somehow I didn't think he was lying though. "Just wait. You'll be at work and I'll come up and order all this ridiculous food. I think I'll have a gluten allergy and I'll hate seafood. And then I'll make you tell me all the ingredients in all the food. It'll be great!"
I rolled my eyes. "I'll be sure to tell them not to let you in."
Seth crossed his arms and sat a little straighter. "No one can stop me!" I don't doubt the validity of that statement.
A few more people congratulated me. It was weird having all this attention and I didn't like it. I wished the pack meeting would continue because I wanted the eyes off me. I felt like I was distracting people and if I'm a distraction, then there's no way I'll be able to convince Jake to let me come to'practice'. It's like prison. Good behavior may actually get me what I want.
Or I can just sneak out again. But I'm trying not to do that again because I don't want Jake worrying about me. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Sometimes.
"Can we move on?" The voice was icy cold and female. "It's not like she'll be here much longer. The wedding's over," there was definitely more venom on that phrase, "She's going home".
I could see a couple of the guys shudder. Here we go again. Leah bringing up more stuff to start drama. Some of them turned to me and others turned to Leah. What were they expecting? Battle Royale?
"Actually," I said trying to make my voice calm and sure, "I'm here to stay. My mom got a job offer in D.C. and she took it. Takota is across the ocean. So the only one left is Emily. And I couldn't just leave you guys". My eyes landed on Jake and he smiled at me.
"So we're stuck with you?"
I shot a hard look at Leah. Has she forgotten we're cousins? The glare in her irises tells me she hasn't. "I didn't know I did something to make you hate me" I snapped.
Sam coughed loudly before anything else started. I smirked because I got the last word in. Leah succumbed to her chair and grumbled something I couldn't hear. However, Embry did and punched Leah in the shoulder. She hit him back but he only rolled his eyes. I smiled at Embry for sticking up for me I assumed.
It is funny how Sam, the one person Leah probably has a reason to hate, is the only one that can get her to shut up.
Sam is all business when he talks. There is no joke and there is no soft intro. It's just here's what's going on and how we're going to deal with it. Apparently, the fortune teller can't get any more visions of the newborns. And it wouldn't be that big of a deal, except the pack hasn't found a scent of any of them anywhere near here. They're coming; there's no doubt about it. But they're far away. So that can only mean they are training as well. Which means they're expecting a battle.
I look at Jake and he has a frown on his lips.
Sam doesn't know if the newborns know about the pack. All they expect for sure is a battle with the Cullens. And for what? Vengeance. Apparently, Bella ticked off one of the other leeches because she didn't die and the Cullens killed her mate protecting Bella. So once again, she brings her shit into our world. Perfect.
Sam isn't touchy-feely. And he's also not much of an optimist. Rather than end the meeting on a positive note, he lets all the pack know that we don't really have any idea what we're up against and we're going to need to train as hard as possible.
Leah leaves almost immediately and Seth and I share a glance. "Is she…?"
"She's always a bitch" he laughs and I'm surprised he would say that about his sister. "Don't get me wrong. I love her. But she's never been a ray of sunshine. You should see her when she's on her period. Not fun. I thought about slipping her birth control once."
"Too much information Seth" I said and covered my ears for effect.
He ignored me and continued. "But I wasn't sure if that would work with the whole wolf thing. I mean, Advil doesn't work on us so would that?"
I didn't think his question was addressed to me, but soon there were a few pairs of eyes on me, including Jake's. I threw my hands up. "How the hell should I know?"
Seth laughs and Quill smacks him on the pack. "Virgin remember" he teases.
I can feel my cheeks heat up. Why does everything go back to this. Boys.
"What about you Emily?" Seth calls to the kitchen. "Would birth control work on Leah?"
Emily appears in the kitchen doorway. "Don't drug her Seth. She'll only be more pissed off when she finds out."
"How's she going to find out?"
"The same way I found out about Operation KTFP" she called before disappearing.
Seth's eyes lit up and he immediately pointed a finger at me. "You didn't tell her did you?" I shook my head and he seemed more alarmed.
Sam laughed. "Emily's got that ability. I can't get away with anything." Somehow I don't see Sam causing any kind of mischief.
"You're kids are going to be so screwed" Embry laughed. This time Sam's face flushed and he made sure to give Embry a good punch. I'll never understand guys. How does beating on each other translate to affection?
Once we got over teasing Sam, we all migrated back over to the couch. Paul disappeared somewhere with Sam to talk serious strategy stuff. I waited for Jake to go with but he seemed rather disinterested for Beta.
Seth pulled out that same war game that I played with them a few months ago and I groaned. I haven't exactly practiced and I'm going to get my butt kicked again. I think that's exactly what Seth has in mind. "Remember that one time when Emma got so mad because you killed her from that rooftop" he laughed.
I stuck my tongue out at him and made sure to kick him after he handed me my controller. Alright, maybe I can understand why guys are always beating on each other.
"You just wait. I'm targeting you the whole time."
"So no worries then?" he laughed.
"Shut up."
There were only four controllers so we were going to take turns. First round was Seth, Quill, Collin, and I. I started thinking strategy. I had no chance defeating either Seth or Quill, but maybe I would get lucky and they would go after Collin because he's the new guy. I might not be the first to get killed.
Thirty seconds later, I realized how wrong I was. I was definitely the first to get killed. My screen burned red with humility. And who was celebrating? The new guy.
"Yes!"
"I want Collin on my team!" Quill called.
"No teams" Seth said. Just as my guy returned to the game, Seth shot him down and I had to wait for my life to be restored. Jake snickered and I elbowed him. "I don't want to be stuck with Emma."
"At least I'm trying" I mumbled under my breath. My character made a mad dash for a deserted building. I was safe. For once in this dumb game, I had a chance to breathe. I strolled around the building and looked for a better place to hide. If I can't kill them, might as well let them kill each other and win. I smiled to myself. However, I soon realized that although this building seemed deserted, didn't mean that it was.
"Damn it!" Quill and Seth high fived. "Have you tried to kill anyone other than me?"
"I got killed once" Collin said and I instantly liked him a little. He'll be my new friend.
Jake leaned over. "I know you said you're trying, but Em I really don't think you are."
I scoffed. "Of course I'm trying. This is just a really hard game."
Jake shook his head. "No it's not. Here, let me try."
Knowing that I don't have a chance in the world of beating anyone in this room, I gave Jake my controller. And I wish I hadn't because he started showing me up almost immediately. He scoped, or whatever it's called, and kill Quill. And then he did some fancy dive roll that I wasn't sure my character could do over to an abandoned truck. True to my discovery, nothing is abandoned in this game. Collin's character hopped the truck and lunged for Jake. I didn't even know this was an unarmed combat game as well. I thought it was just guys with guns shooting at each other. But no. Jake grabbed Collin by the arm and swung him around. Then he twisted Collin's arm and pulled him into a headlock. In one quick move he snapped the neck. I cringed hearing the sound. It sounded the way my wrist had when I ran into Edward.
And then I had my excuse. "You're just better because I hurt my wrist."
"Doing something stupid" Seth added without taking his eyes off the TV.
I rolled my eyes. "Babe," Jake laughed, "No amount of injuries could ever account for your awful skills."
"It's a video game" I snapped.
"That you happen to suck at."
Oh if I was able to transform into a massive wolf I would so make them regret saying that. But instead, I had to settle with jabbing each of them in the ribs with my foot. I don't think it had any affect but it caused all of their characters to trip. I smiled in triumph.
The controllers were passed to the next players. I was, thankfully, excluded from this round. "So you're working at The Inn now?" Quill asked.
I nodded. The Inn had become the unofficial name of the restaurant down the street from Jake's house. It was a tiny little thing that smelled musty and had pictures in black and white, but somehow it's always busy. The food is average. The atmosphere though is what people go for. There are memories written on every wall. It's a little spot of sunshine in this misery. And I think that's what attracted me to it last week.
The interview was easy enough. State my name, my current occupation, and my age. They didn't ask too many question since I was one of only three applying. The other two were younger as well, barely 16. I never really wanted to be a waitress, but other than babysitter, that was the only job open in La Push. And after all the incidents in this first month of summer, I won't take a job outside of the reservation. Besides, Jacob is ecstatic that I'll be so close.
"Yeah I start Tuesday."
Seth laughed. "That's gonna suck for you. You have to work while the rest of us relax by the beach and chill at bonfires."
"So you think. You're going to be training like crazy." And as soon as it was out of my mouth, I wish I hadn't said it.
"We'll still have time" Seth said weakly like a child. I could see everything in his expression. All hope of ever living a normal life just vanished. He realized that for him and the others, it's not about getting tan and hanging out with your friends. They aren't like other guys and they never will be. They won't get to go to a university and live in the dorms. They won't get to party all night and get so hung over that they can't even sit up the next day. Because their lives will always be dedicated to the fight against leeches. They can never stray too far away. They can't live the lives they want because the cold ones exist. And even if they suddenly disappear, their ability to phase won't. Forever they'll have to watch their anger. And control may not even be enough.
My hand moved to my stomach and I traced the three jagged scars. Jake had hurt me. We can never have a normal relationship because of what he is. I'll always worry about him and stress over finding ways to let him live a normal life. And he'll always live with the guilt of that one moment where he was weak. The moment he chose Bella.
I turn away from the others and the game grows silent. Someone won but no one wants to play the next round. And what is the next round? An all-out war with the leeches. That's already coming. And who knows how much time the rest of us have to live a normal life.
I made a solemn promise then and there to help the boys live as normal as a life as possible. And if that means I have to deal with their shit at work, then I'm glad. I'd rather see them fool around and get in trouble than be forced into early adulthood.
Looking at Collin, Brady, and Seth, I'm even more saddened. They're the youngest of the pack and they'll have the most of their lives stolen from them. Collin and Brady are only 15. When I was 15 I was worried about how my hair looked and not saying something stupid in front of my crush. These boys are worried about protecting the entire reservation from a nearly invincible enemy, imprinting and then protecting said imprint with their lives, and having their bodies morph into wolves. And I was scared when I got boobs. I can't imagine waking up with fur and a tail.
Jake can sense my worry. He smiles at me with sad eyes because there's no way to ease my worry. He knows the truth and so do I. His eyes travel to my stomach and he frowns. He must have seen.
He stands and I follow him out the back door. Before I close the door, I hear the game begin again. The boys are over it which is good. I'm glad I didn't bring them down for very long. They know how to make the most of it.
Jake walks a little away from the house and waits for me beside Sam's boat propped up on two shaky horses. "How bad are they?"
I shook my head. "Not bad. They're better."
He took a step closer. "I really am sorry. I never should have done that."
"It's ok" I say for the millionth time.
Jacob stares at me long and hard. His eyes penetrate my soul and I look down to avoid his gaze. I feel all my walls melting under his eyes and it scares me a little. What can he see?
He lets me know. "It's not ok. I wish you would stop saying that. I see you stop every once in a while when you think about it. Something is bothering you and I wish you would tell me what it was so I could reassure you and ease your worry."
I shake my head and put on a smile. "It's nothing."
He doesn't want to drop it. I can tell that much by the way he takes another half step forward. But I don't want to talk about it. I'd rather let the fear brew inside and never put words to it. It's better that way: if it doesn't have a face, it isn't real. So I hold a hand up and smile sadly. "It's fine Jake" I say with an air of finality. And for the moment it is.
