Thanks for anyone who's read or reviewed my stories. I know it's probably not a lot of people, but it means a lot, and I'll keep posting more whether people review or not. But I would like to hear what everyone thinks about it so far!! I just finished writing 9, and it just keeps getting better and better, I promise!!


4. The Man Who Started the Fire

Gemma

The doorbell rang. I felt a little anxious, though I knew it was silly. These boys had seen me in a bikini. Why should a dress be so bad? Making sure my hair didn't look like complete shit, I took a step back and analyzed myself in the mirror. I didn't look completely horrible. Short, cute black dress, hair in a messy, yet neat, bun. I slid on my heels and grabbed my purse. I shuffled over towards the door, brushing my bangs out of my face as I opened it.

Embry Call had always been one of my best friends. Usually he was found running around the La Push Reservation shirtless, cliff diving or doing something stupid or reckless. Now, however, he was standing on my doorstep, cleanly shaved, wearing black slacks and a white button down shirt.

"Wow," I commented with an approving nod, my eyes averting to see behind him. Jacob, his date Bella, some chick from Forks, and Quil and Paul, both flying solo, awaited us in the car, and I didn't keep them. Letting Embry lead the way back, he opened the door and I climbed in a little clumsily. After all, I was in a dress and heels. Bella didn't look very comfortable, or all that happy, and I gave her a smile as Embry slid into the seat under me so that when I sat it was on his lap. I gave her a greeting and we were off, six people packed into the car, as Paul hit the gas petal.

We pulled into the parking lot of the Port Angeles High School, seeing all the pale faces (it was funny how I referred to non-local La Pushites as "pale faces," though I was paler than the majority) and we parked. Sliding out of the car, the guys looked instantly uncomfortable, like a bad smell was wafting through the air. I gave Embry a smile and took his arm, letting him lead me inside. It wasn't a date. He was just my "escort" (Reece made sure this was clear to him before hand).

Sitting in the stuffy gym, we had a good time, though after about five minutes it was raining sweat and I got separated from the guys and Bella. I sat, taking a large gulp of water, and watched the other teenagers interact. It was entertaining to see how other kids off of the Rez socialized. The guys looked over dramatic, and the girls even more dramatic. I just laughed. Then, I noticed a guy cutting through the crowd. He was paler than anyone else, and his skin seemed to twinkle when the light from the disco ball hit him. He had piercing brown eyes, and he was headed straight towards me. Smiling, I attempted to nonchalantly fix my hair.

"Hey," he told me smoothly, sitting right next to me. It was pretty clear that not a lot of people knew him, from the way they stared. His voice was like velvet, and I could already picture myself leaving with him. Shit, Reece would flip. I giggled at this thought and he cracked a handsome half smile.

"Hi. Gemma," I told him, holding my hand out confidently for him to shake, making sure I was wearing my best radiating smile. He took my hand and turned it; his was freezing cold, and so were his lips as he gently kissed the back of my hand.

"Johnathon," he introduced himself when his lips parted from my skin. Christ, I had the shivers. "Would you like to dance?" His voice was so silky, and quaint, like he was carrying a hundred years of information in that head of his. I promptly nodded and he graciously led me to the dance floor.

We danced through several songs, me fumbling compared to his graceful dancing. Then, he leaned in close.

"Hey, it's kinda hot in here. Would you like to take a walk outside?" I turned and saw Embry, who was getting a drink, glaring at Johnathon. Jealousy obviously plagued his expression, as he glanced towards the other guys. I nodded, sensing that something was wrong but ignoring it. How could I skip an opportunity with Mr. Gorgeous?

Weaving through the flood of people, we seemed to break through the doors quickly.

"Did you come here with anyone?" he asked coolly, his hands in each of his pant pockets as we walked along the side of the building, towards a small patch of woods.

"Yeah. Some friends."

"Well, I'll have to apologize to them later then, for stealing you away." The statement was simple enough, but my stomach had dropped. Was I supposed to read into that?

"I'm sure they won't mind," I said with a smile, my shy eyes watching my feet, already pained by the wedges I had chosen.

"Yes they will. You're one to be missed. I'm sure your body won't be very easy to clean up either," he said nonchalantly, and I froze. Just as I turned to see the doors flinging open, and my friends running out towards me, a cold hand gripped my arm and I was flying through the night. Literally. My feet left the ground, and I was suddenly being hit by leaves and twigs and branches, going a million miles an hour through the woods.

The pain grew in my arm, and I realized what was happening. This guy had drugged me with something, and now he was flinging me through the woods. I should have followed my instincts. Shit. Suddenly, I was looking down over the ground; I was up a tree, and I wasn't alone.

Everything was so clear, I was so aware. I looked down to see four extremely large wolves. But they couldn't have been wolves; they had to be bears. They were so huge. The man that was crushing my wrist into dust was crouching next to me, and he jumped down to the ground, me being dragged down with him. I let out another pained cry as I hit my head, hard. What was going on? Sitting up, I realized that he had let go of me, and was trying to fight the wolves. I didn't know what I was more scared of—the wolves, or the man. It didn't matter. I had to try and get away from all of them.

I began to crawl, trying not to put too much weight on my obviously broken wrist, and I closed my eyes tight, attempting to hide my tortured cries of pain. I wouldn't be able to move unless I got to my feet. Slowly, I crouched and stood, hiding behind the shadow of a large oak tree, and then, once I figured all of the monsters were distracted, I turned and ran. I didn't get very far.

A loud growl informed me that something was behind me, and somehow I knew that I couldn't escape. The same cold grip that I had felt before was now grabbing the back of my neck, and he threw me back against my own momentum, flinging me over his shoulder. He began to run, faster than ever, and I had no choice but to hold on tightly to my broken wrist. Tears streamed from my face.

We were running for barely a second, but I had to guess we traveled the length of ten football fields. He was fast, crazy fast, and I knew then that he wasn't human. He had to have been an alien. Before long, there was a strong pain in my calf. Something had bit me, and I had no doubt that it was the wolves chasing us. I understood then. The different species weren't just fighting, they were fighting over me. Food. The teeth of one of the wolves dug deep into my leg and ripped me off of the man, casting me back; I smacked my head against a dull rock and screamed louder, though I knew that it was no use. One of them would finish me off, whether it be the alien, or the bear. I was dead.

I missed my friends in that instant. I missed Embry, and Jacob, and Paul and Sam and Jared and Quil and Emily. I missed them terribly.

Lying there, I heard loud claps of thunder, and my heavy eyes lifted to see that it wasn't the sky but the opponents of the fight slamming against each other, ripping holes into the others' bodies. Tears rolled down my face, and one of them barked in a sort of authoritative tone towards me. Letting out a sob, I reached behind my head and saw what I had already suspected. Blood. Lots of it. Coming from my head, and my leg. Looking down, seeing my red heels still perfectly set on my feet, everything around me was starting to grow fuzzy and dark. A figure loomed over me, and I saw the man's piercing eyes staring into mine. He took my wrist in his gentle grip, and for a moment, I had some sick hope that he would use one of his other powers to heal me. It would be one less pain to try and fight.

My hopes had been deflected quickly. He was pumping my arms with his hands, like he was trying to give me an ice cold Indian burn. And then I felt it. More teeth, only they felt different than the teeth of the wolf. They were piercing, cold, and burning. I felt blood leaving my arm. What the hell was he doing?! Drinking my blood? Ladies and Gentleman, the most handsome Dracula I've ever seen!

Though I hadn't closed my eyes, everything was now black. The stars shut off, and the sky had turned its back on me. I was on fire; the combustion in my wrist was radiating, spreading to the rest of my body, especially my chest. My heart was ablaze, and his teeth were still inside me, sucking me dry. I starting shaking, convulsing. I was dying, being murdered, and I couldn't do anything but scream for help that would most likely never come.

Then, his fangs were ripped from me, taking my burning skin along with it. The pain only got worse. My eyes shot open, and I saw one of the wolves stumble as the man scratched its face. It fell backwards and growled, and the other two grabbed hold of the vampire and began shredding it into pieces. I was churning; my insides were having a bonfire, and I bit back a scream, trying to concentrate on the fact that they might still try and come after me.

And then something beautiful, and terrifying, happened. The wolves dissolved from the scene, and in their place stood my friends: Paul, Embry, Jacob, Quil. My charred eyes widened, and I began to choke on what tasted like blood. My insides began dancing around the fire, chanting, and I let out a horrified gasp, and then one more feared scream. My friends, my best friends... monsters. They were the ones who had bit me, who had nearly killed me, though full credit for my death would be given to the alien man.

The overwhelming physical and emotional agony became too much. I whispered a goodbye to myself before surrendering and letting my eyes shut.

I was nowhere.

I was everywhere.

I was suddenly aware. I could hear quite clearly, and I knew by the clear sound of the grasshoppers singing a chirped song, I was still in the woods.

It was like waking from a nightmare, only to find that you're still dreaming.

I was still on fire, and it was setting in, starting to feel like a constant, like it would never stop.

They were talking, and the more I listened, the clearer they became.

"The venom is spreading quickly." Sam. Sam would help me. He would make it go away. Unlike... I couldn't bear to think about my ex-friends, the monsters who had tried to kill me. I tried calling out to him, only to gag; the back of my head felt especially warm and slippery. I was still bleeding. Sam would help me. Hopefully.

"What do we do?!" Embry. No. Sam was one of them! Crap! They were all next to me, I felt their presence, and I couldn't do anything about it but shake and writhe within my cocoon of a body.

"We'll have to suck it out of her, and quick."

"Gross!"

"We're the only ones. We're immune. If we don't, she will become one of them, and we will have to destroy her."

If only they knew how much pain I was in. Why couldn't they just kill me?

"I'll do it, she's my sister." Reece. I hadn't thought of it before. Reece had to be one of them too, always strutting around with the pack. My thoughts became so clear that I began to ponder not on my murderous brother but of how organized my thoughts were. My mind began to run in circles, and I started crying. I just wanted it to be over. I felt something hot and soft touch the cold spot on my arm, where the teeth of the man had been before. The man who started the fire.

"You won't do it right. Give me her hand." Embry. Leave me alone, please. Just get away from me. Let me deteriorate on my own.

"Enough," Sam ordered, and I began to see again. My eyes had been open the whole time, but now I was regaining vision. "Embry. Now. And hurry."

Lips once again touched my wound, and the blood was leaving my arm. Just when I thought that I could get comfortable with the now dulled candlelight burning feeling, it began to roar again, and I screamed. My vision was lost once more, my thoughts scrambled. Why couldn't I just die?

Then, the light came back, and relief washed over me. The burning had ceased completely. I realized that my body had stopped shaking, and I could actually voluntarily move my limbs. I coughed, feeling something pressed against my head. All my other feelings, the blood leaking from my wrist, leg and head, the hair in my face, my eyes burning from the tears, began to come back.

My shiny orbs fluttered around, attempting to evaluate the scene. The monsters I used to be associated with were all hovered over me. I jumped back, only to find that Reece was holding me in place, pushing against the back of my head. My breathing quickened, and I began to hyperventilate, shaking again.

"Get-... Get away from me. Please..." I begged, only to have Reece hold onto me tighter. "Reece, please!"

"Gemma, don't move. You're badly hurt." Then, I was in motion. But not on my own accord. My surroundings were running away from me. Reece had picked me up, and was carrying me like I was an infant.

"What- What are you going to do to me?"

"Gem, please, don't talk. Just stay awake. Okay?"

"Hell no!" I yelled, coughing. Blood again. I decided to deal with the brain freeze and metallic taste and continue stammering. "Let me go! Please I never did anything!"

"I know! We're gonna bring you home, fix you up okay?"

"Yeah right!" I was delirious. I needed to be away from them. I heard an engine. The jeep. They were going to drive away with me, and no one would ever see me again. I started crying and he held me closer. "No, let me go!" I yelled, as he sat down in the back seat, and with the others climbing onto the vehicle and holding on tight, Sam, in the driver's seat, took off.

Someone was brushing my hair out of my face. Embry. I screamed as loud as I could before choking again.

"Shh, Gemma it's okay, we've got you now."

"No," I moaned. "Why couldn't you just let me die," I cried as his torturous, yet warm and familiar, touch continued to plague my face, and it drew out the entire drive home.