Title: Time to Change Forever!
Chapter 4
We were finally back in La Push after the longest hour in my life so far. We were in Jakes Volkswagen and headed to my house, usually being in Jakes car (with Jake, of course) made me happy and glad to be away from Charlie, but at this moment it was as unfamiliar as those godly yet devilish people. And for the first time in my life I was relieved as hell when I saw my house come into view and Jake pulled into the driveway.
I had undone my seatbelt, grabbed my bag, opened the passenger door and leaped out of it in record time. I was about to piss bolt for the front door and then the stairs when Jake appeared in front of me, I hadn't even noticed he'd opened or closed his door. He looked as though he meant to speak but instead left the silence open for me to start first, but that wasn't going to happen considering I didn't even want to talk at all.
'I guess you have some questions to ask' he said finally, realising I wasn't going to speak.
I sighed 'I don't want anything from you,' I told him. Not entirely false but also not entirely true either. I was curious about those people and why the wolves were chasing them off but I knew he was probably talking about the imprinting thing. 'I just want to go inside and face Charlie before I have a hot shower and go to bed' and curl up to cry, I added as a mental note.
'Okay, I understand,' he said obviously disappointed 'you probably didn't get much sleep last night huh' It wasn't a question he saw the bags under my eyes and the clothes I wore yesterday that were now filthy with mud and grass stains. I must look awful.
'Well maybe we could talk about it another time then,' he added suddenly, after a moment's pause he added 'we're all getting together tomorrow night, why don't you come'
My heart almost did a little flip and my brain was screaming YES! But I told them both not to because there was no reason to get excited, he had imprinted now, and that meant that the number one girl was never going to be the silly best friend that has a crush on him. And because if I did say yes I just knew that she would be there too and what's from stopping me gauging her eyes out.
'No I have plans with some friends already' I told him.
His face fell and I was glad, then I was angry at being glad but that anger was still toward him so it still had devil horns and was joining me at enjoying the sadness in his face. It's confusing and a huge circle of emotions.
'Oh, okay,' he was trying to seem careless about, without success 'I guess I'll see you around' and with that he walked back to his Volkswagen, started it, and backed out of the drive way and down the road. I stood there staring after it for a while. Then I walked towards the front door mentally kicking myself.
•••••••
Charlie was home (of course), pacing back and forth in the lounge room waiting for me (another big shocker). As soon as I stepped a toe into his view he didn't waste a millisecond of his time.
'Bella where on earth were you!?! You were gone ALL night! ALL NIGHT! You could've called, you should've been home by 11pm… And you weren't! I was up all night worrying about you! Jake didn't even know where you were! He was responsible for bringing you home safely and—' before he lost his breathe turned blue and/or puffed up and burst I decided to stop him
'Dad! Jake did bring me home safely, I'm here, I'm fine, and he's done his part. I was lost, no big deal… it happens all the time' I said trying to get the message across, he was about to start again but I kept going so he couldn't 'it's not like this is the first time I haven't come home, and it probably wont be the last, I'm not in the mood for this crap tonight so leave me the hell alone 'cause I got shit all sleep last night, Thank-you'
Before his stunned features could recover from the impact of my words I stormed up stairs and into the bathroom to take a hot shower.
The shower worked as a very calming effect on my rigid muscles. I felt dreadful—like I'd just slept in a field all night and most of the day (and I had)—and I was finally starting to feel slightly better.
I crawled into my bed, grateful I just bought a new one with a huge soft and comforting mattress, and pulled out my phone. If Jake thought he was the only friend I had to have a good time with, he was surely mistaken. I flipped my phone open and realised I had another text—geez didn't I already have enough texts from today about being in trouble and what not—I opened it reluctantly, expected one I'd missed from Charlie or something.
Hey Bella,
I know Mike already texted you
About the movies but I was
Just double checking to see if you
Wanted to come,
It'll be lots of fun! And I haven't
Had a chance to chat with you
For a while, it would be nice to catch up
Anyway write me back
Angela Xx.
Hmm, didn't expect it to be from Angela, I mean we haven't talked in ages. Her messages always seemed to be so long and always positive—I liked them.
I can have tons of fun without Jake and his pretty little blonde Leah. I opened a New Message and wrote back.
When I opened my eyes the next morning I felt all groggy and still dead tired. I looked at the clock to check how much more shut eye I could fit in—woops! Did I say morning?—make that the next afternoon.
And then I realised to some horror that it wasn't long before I had to go to Port Angela's. I leapt out of bed and ran straight to the shower ignoring whatever Charlie was yelling up to me when he saw me… something like 'She's Alive!!!'—strange, it didn't even sound like Charlie—whatever.
I was finally ready—after rushing through my make-up and a quick hair blow dry—I walked downstairs and froze to the spot. What is he doing here? I realised I thought what I was meaning to say out like so I tried again.
'What are you doing here?' I said sounding just like the voice in my head—how could I tell the difference?
'I'm here to have dinner Bells, of course' said the all too familiar voice I only just came to find irritating as hell.
'Jake thought we should all sit down and eat dinner,' Charlie said, while I stood glaring at Jake 'he thought he should make up for not bringing you home earlier last night' Charlie gave Jake an approving look.
Anger flared up inside me.
'I told you I had plans!' I screamed at Jake.
He seemed shocked by my outburst but his voice was calm.
'I didn't think you were serious,' he said a little confused 'I thought you were still a little mad that's all'
'And you thought this;' I gestured to the dinner table and food 'would help my being angry at you?' Pfft, he should know me better.
'Bella I think it was nice—' I interrupted Charlie (again) before he could continue.
'Yer well I'm not you Dad,' I shifted my sharp gaze toward him 'and this is all you ever do anyway, eat, sleep and watch baseball on the flat screen—oh and work' my words were sharper then a scalpel and the effect of them showed on both their faces.
Jake stood in his chair abruptly reaching out his hand to me and was about to talk again when I stalked out of the room and straight to my truck.
My drive to Port Angela's was short, I parked my car a fair distance from the cinema so that I could work the short distance there and clear my head. The streets were completely deserted and most of the small businesses on the way were closing up, which was strange considering it was school break. I was walking up a narrow ally way that was a short cut across to the cinema and was stopped by a shadow that seemed to materialise out of the darkness. It was so dark, in fact, that all I could see was a shadow and nothing more. But when the shadow spoke the voice was cold, hard and smug.
'Young woman shouldn't wander the dark streets without an escort' he said 'it could be very dangerous'
Panic spiked through me and my breathing was hard and uneven. I turned quickly to head back out of the ally but he was back in front of me before I'd even half turned. My panic then turned to pure terror and it was hard to find my voice; when I managed to find it, it came out in a half shriek.
'What do you want?' I said, sounding as terrified as I felt.
He replied in one word that somehow impossibly made my terror seem like nothing to the rush of horror I felt afterwards.
'Vengeance' he hissed, then he attacked and I blacked out.
When I woke—or at least I regained a slight consciousness without really opening my eyes—I was still as petrified as I had been before I'd blacked out. Not able to let go of the terrible feeling that I got immediately when that shadow stepped in front of me. Everything was still dark and I thought at first that I was dead but I couldn't be because I heard cars driving from the road just outside the ally.
I tried to my, I started with my finger, and immediately regretted it when the most excruciating pain shot through my entire body. It was the most terrible heat and it burned it way through me leaving all my body organs fried. I let out a gasp mixed with a shriek of pain and half expected that slight movement to be just as painful but it turns out the last one was still in effect for the second to even need to. I wanted to cry or scream or move or ANYTHING! I wanted to know what was happening to me and why that guy wanted vengeance when I don't remember his voice from anywhere before.
I decided that I would have to be patient and wait—and hope—for this agonizing pain to leave before I got any answers, or did anything else for that matter.
I laid there for three days that were so painfully long I still had the slight idea that I was dead and sent to hell for unknown reasons. By the third day though some of the pain left certain parts of my body, and I was glad, but I didn't move because I knew that was only a small fraction of whatever pain I felt in my body. And then I heard a familiar voice I not long ago found irritating, but hearing it now made me so relieved it almost washed away all the pain—for a second. He was yelling frantically,
'Here! Here!' he screamed 'I found her, over here!'
His voice was getting closer as he yelled and when he spoke next his voice was so close.
'Bella?' he said a little less loud but still frantic 'Oh god please be alive'
There were running footsteps and soon more voices joined Jakes.
'Jacob we need to get her back to La Push now' I recognised that voice as Sam with all the seriousness of the leader of the free world.
'Ok help me lift her guys' Jake replied, worry clear in his voice.
When I was finally able to open my eyes again, and all the pain had finally left my body, everything was different.
