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Yay!! Finally, a longer chapter! And you didn't have wait for a week and a half to get it! Thanks to my reviewers: RomansGirl, BostonREDSOXbabe, kkangle-iloveTWILGHT5, Sunchaser116589, ThisIsHowItIs, Blondie0706, and Dancingpiggy. Kudos to you, and everyone who put my story on alert or favorites, but more kudos to reviewers.
I don't own Twilight. I don't own the song "Haunted" by Kelly Clarkson, either. (have any of you noticed that a lot of Kelly Clarkson's songs, especially in her album Breakaway, can relate very closely to Twilight?)

Chapter 4: Haunted

Louder, louder, the voices in my head

Whispers taunting, all the things you said

Faster the days go by and I'm still

Stuck in this moment of wanting you here

Where are you? I need you

Don't leave me here on my own

Speak to me, be near me

I can't survive unless I know you're here

Finding my truck was easier than I expected, but the fifteen miles to La Push took longer than I ever remembered it taking. The entire way, I avoided looking into the rearview mirrors, not wanting to see the excruciatingly beautiful face that would tell me all that I feared. My deathly white hands gripping the steering wheel were disturbing enough.

I was fighting myself the entire drive to Jacob's house. There were three main points that were nagging me:

1) Would Jake even hear what I had to say if he was my "enemy"?

2) What if he wasn't my enemy, and I was just overreacting?

3) Was I breaking his "treaty" by going to the reservation?

I battled with my mind and non-existent heart for several minutes before coming to these conclusions:

1) I was now super-strong. I would make Jacob listen to me if I had to.

2) I would have a lot of explaining to do. But his words in with the other man had to mean something, right?

3) No, I think that the treaty only applied to the Cullens. Besides, I was breaking every rule in the book by still being on top of the Earth instead of six feet under it, so one more shouldn't be very bad, I thought wryly.

As I reached the exit to the reservation, I glanced into the mirrors to make the turn. And figuratively had a heart attack. I didn't even notice what the rest of my face looked like. All I saw was that, in the place that soft golden eyes were supposed to be, were glowing scarlet orbs. How was I going talk to Jake like this? I racked my mind for anything that Edward had let slip about being a newly created vampire. But that hurt too much.

I slowed down about a block away from Jake's house, full of indecision. But my choice was made for me by another car coming up behind my truck and honking for me to get going or get out of the middle of the road. I took advantage of my confusion and rashly swerved into Jacob's driveway. And sat in the truck for another five minutes. An odd stench was emanating from the house and yard. Not bad quite, but kind of animal. Like they had gotten a dog or something. A dog. I groaned and thumped my forehead on the steering wheel. It was now or never, I told myself sternly.

Slowly creaking the door open, I stepped out. The stench was even more intense. My hand faltered a bit before knocking tentatively.

"Just a sec," I heard Jake, my Jake, call from inside. It was so good to see his voice again; I was on the verge of smiling when he opened to door.

The look on his face was unnerving and odd, to say the least. It was a cross between surprise and disgust, with a trace of fear-an emotion I never thought I'd see on him.

"Jake," I breathed. Another million and two expressions passed over his features before settling on a mixture of acquiesce and horror, like disbelief.

"Oh, Bella." His voice, husky and deep like I remembered it, cracked on the last syllable of my name. "I-I can't believe…you're…no. No! I can't-won't-believe that you wanted this-to be one of them."

Huh. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about #2. "So you know. What they were; what I am." Apparently my voice could still break, even if it did sound fuller and richer than it did.

He didn't move a muscle, the horror growing more pronounced on his face.

"Jake, I need to ask you something," Better to get it over with foremost. "Are you a..y'know, a werewolf?" I involuntary whispered the last word. It sounded so scripted, like his words to me last spring at the prom. His head jerked a little as he lifted fevered eyes to look for the first time into mine. I lowered my gaze in turn, knowing too well what he'd find.

"We-we can't talk about that here." I took that as a yes. "If the guys knew you're here, there'd be nothing I could do to stop them from…" He closed his eyes and shook his head. "And if they catch your scent…"

"The guys? You mean Sam's cult?"

"No-I mean, yes, but it's not like that. It's," he drew a shaky breath. "I don't know what to do! What'd you come to me for?"

"You don't know what to do! Jake-I'm the monster!"

At that moment he actually cracked a weak grin. "Welcome to the club."

A breath caught in my throat and came out as a choke. "Oh, Jake. What should I do? I had to come to you-you're the only one who'd understand."

"Um," he looked at his feet and shuffled them a bit like a shy schoolboy. "Well, you can't go around people, for more reasons than one…" He peered at me a bit strangely. "Do you have any idea what you look like?"

"Uh, not really. Other than the eyes, that is."

His expression changed abruptly and he groaned. "Bella, this wasn't supposed to happen! Didn't you think about what the consequences would be? Were you that desperate for death?"

"Hey-you think I chose this?" I didn't mention that half a year ago, I would have given anything for it.

Jake frowned slightly. "Didn't you?"

"Of course not," I stared at him as if he had a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

"But then-" he stopped mid-sentence and glanced around. "We gotta go. C'mon."

Ten minutes later, we were whipping along the highway just like we used to, except now the wind hitting my cheeks and brow didn't feel frigidly cold and I could hear Jake's heartbeats over the roar of the motor and the sharp hiss of the wind.

He came to a halt a ways out of town, in the woods. "So. You didn't choose…this."

"No."

He blew his breath out in one big huff and ran a hand through his cropped dark hair. "But why'd you stay? Why were you there with him in the first place? Satisfying your love for bloodsuckers?"

I struggled to keep an even tone. "Jake…I didn't choose to meet him there. It just sort of happened. D'you think I could have outrun him if I tried?"

"No-I guess not. But when I saw…you were…oh, God, Bella, I was so afraid." His voice, thick with pain and misery, broke again.

"You never did answer my question," I pressed relentlessly. "Are you a..y'know.."

"Werewolf? Yeah. It's complicated. Can't talk about that right now, here. You have no idea how busted I'll be with the rest of the pack later for being here with you."

"I am sorry about that, Jake. But who else was I supposed to go to? What can I do now?"

"Well," he scrunched his nose and forehead in thought. "Did your bloodsu-"

"Please don't refer to them-or me-as that."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Well, did the Cullens have any friends? Other ones like them?"

"Yeah, he…Edward," I felt the gaping hole in my chest yawn once more and curled my arms around my torso in reflex, "mentioned some friends in Alaska. But I don't really…I don't know about them. The Cullens stayed with them often. I don't know if I could handle…"

"Anyone else?"

I thought hard. "Well, they're not really friends-but I could go to them to ask what I should do, where I should go…" I was talking to myself at this point.

"Who?"

"The Volturi."

I had not anticipated Jake's expression when I said that, and I couldn't really place it, either. "Do you know of them? Carlisle said he stayed with them a while…"

"Yeah, Sam's mentioned them. But that's something you'd have to talk to him about."

"Can I? I mean, wouldn't he, you know, decapitate me or something?" I was less than half joking about the decapitating part. I never thought anything, or anyone, could be stronger and less indestructible than a vampire, and yet it seemed as though the pack-I couldn't think of them as Jake and the other boys-took him down.

"Naw, he wouldn't hurt you, not if I asked him not to. He kind of…respects me. I was supposed…" He trailed off indecisively, but was already taking out his cell phone.

After he called Sam, letting him know where he was, amd telling him what to expect, Jake sighed. "All I had dreamed of, all I had planned…I never, never, thought…"

"What are you talking about, Jacob?" It wasn't like him to be this sentimental.

"You would have turned to me, after a while, you know."

"Oh? And how do you know this?" It irritated me when he thought he knew more about me than I did.

"I could see you getting closer to me al the time. You were gradually becoming less guarded and opening up. You would have seen."

"Stop dwelling on the past and face the real problem," I snapped gesturing at my crimson eyes.

"Sure, sure. Whatever. I just wanted you to know that I was there for you."

"I know you were there, Jake, you were always there. I couldn't have gotten through that without you, and I won't get through this without you," I said, softening.

Jake just looked at me for a minute. "Yeah-well," he said gruffly, turning his head to the side.

Five minutes later, a dark form appeared in the trees. It was the man who'd found me on the worst night of my life. Sam stepped out of the shadow, huge and wearing nothing but shorts and a leather string around his ankle. His face was wary; he wore the same look of disgust as Jake did, only magnified.

"Sam…" I said slowly. He sized me up, assessing the damage done. "What do you know about the Volutri?"

Sam didn't know much. What I wanted to know was why the fear behind his eyes, and Jake's, was prominent. What could be so bad about them that werewolves would be afraid?

"They have a sort of stronghold on the city of Volterra. No one knows of them, and yet, people can feel them. Not too many tourists go there; it feels kind haunted, I've heard." Sam was still standing a good ten or twelve feet away from me.

"Where is Volterra?"

"Mmmm…in Tuscany, I believe. You'd probably have to fly to Siena first and take a train." I shuddered, not know how I'd react to being around all those humans.

"They…the Volturi…shouldn't be too hard to find after you get there. I mean, what with you being like them and all." I didn't like the accusation under his tone. Did he think I chose this as well? Probably. I was a bit of a coincidence that I was the one to be in there at the same time as Laurent. Then again, I was a danger magnet. I grimaced.

"Bella." My head jerked toward Jake. Sam was leaving, sure to morph into his other state once under cover of the trees. "So…are you going to go?"

"Yes." I had made my mind.

"What about Charlie?"

Charlie. "I-I don't know," I faltered, "I guess you'll have to, you know, make it look like I died in the woods or something." I felt like crying, and knowing that I couldn't just made it worse.

"Yeah. God, that's going to be tough on him."

"I know."

We stood in silence, looking anywhere but at each other, for a long period of time. "Well-I guess this is it." I mumbled finally.

"Yeah. Um, Bella, you know, I don't think you're really, well, really that bad for a lee-vampire. I mean, I obviously liked you better as a human, but you're not as bad as they were."

I laughed weakly. "I wonder why that is,"

He shrugged and a little color crept up his ears.

"Oh, Jake-don't tell me you're still infatuated with me!"

He scowled and wrinkled his nose. "Nooo…you're just not so bad. You're still Bella, even as a vampire."

"And you're still Jake, even as a werewolf."

He grinned suddenly. "Guess that'll have to be our relationship, huh?"

"Guess so."

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