3. REVELATION

The wind whipped around me as I floated above my lifeless body below. Jacob was still seated on the truck bed, cradling me to him. His face looked panic-stricken as he brushed the hair from my face - all the while whispering urgently for me to wake up.

"I'm right here, Jake," I tried to say, but no sound came from my lips.

I wanted to stay with him, and with my body, until everything went back to normal. Normalcy was what I wanted to get back to before I fainted – or whatever had happened to me. Instead, I only became more terrified as I rose higher and higher – away from the scene below me; like a balloon that had been accidentally lost by a child. I realized with horror that I couldn't control what was happening to me, and I didn't know what was causing my movements any longer. It seemed that I was at the mercy of the wind, and where it might carry me.

Once I reached the treetops, I began looking wildly around from the new height, and realized with a slight shock that everything looked as though it were in shades of grey. It was night, I knew, but even the huge pine trees - now at the bottom of my dangling feet – were devoid of color.

There was only one explanation that made sense to me, and I shuddered with sadness as I thought of the possibility. I must have died. I was having an out-of-body-experience that matched accounts of people who had died and come back to life. Would I return to life, or was this my final goodbye? I thought of Jake, and how I had just found him. It seemed cruel that I wouldn't have him in my life now. My suddenly tortured thoughts then turned to my sister. How would kind and timid Sarah get along without me pushing her when she needed to be pushed?

The moment that I thought of Sarah, to my surprise I began quickly drifting in the direction of what I knew was Emily's house. I had a moment's pause before Jacob disappeared completely from my sight. Goodbye, Jacob. I really think…that I love you. I helplessly thought, before the wind carried me away.

I saw the road below me; the shiny pavement moving past in almost a blur. The subtle waves reaching the shore line of the beach drew my attention and I drifted over the mist and smelled the salt air as I drew closer to Emily's. As I reached the house, I wanted to see Sarah so badly that I hardly noticed drifting through the window, even though it was obviously closed.

Sam, Emily, and Sarah were gathered around the kitchen table – the same way that I remembered talking about the wedding details only few hours before.

"So, now that it's happened, how does it affect Sienna?" Sarah asked. The worry was obvious on her face as she spoke.

"For Jake, it's absolute. For Sienna, it's a choice." Sam responded, solemnly.

"I mean no offense to you, Sam, but remembering you and Emily is what's scaring me the most right now," Sarah said intently; her eyes staring down at the coffee mug rather than Sam's face.

"How could I take offense when you're only telling the truth? I know what I did," his face awash with pain as he grasped Emily's hand on the table.

"Enough," Emily said, softly but firmly. "It does no good revisiting that at the moment. We have to think about Sienna right now."

"It's just… we know imprinting isn't always a fairy tale," Sam said, looking sadly at Emily's face. His other hand reached out to touch her face, and to stroke the scars that I now assumed came from him - and not a bear after all. It was all too much - the shocks were coming faster than my brain could process them.

"I would gladly go through any pain again, if it meant having you in my life," Emily said, her eyes boring into Sam's.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing abruptly cut off their conversation.

Emily patted Sam's hand upon her face softly, before she rose to answer it.

"Hello?" she said, hesitantly. It would be pretty late by now, so I would imagine she was worried that something was wrong.

"My God," she said. "We'll be right there." She hung the phone violently back on the receiver.

"Sienna's collapsed. She's unconscious," she almost barked at Sam and Sarah.

Sarah, I'm right here, I thought again, futilely.

Sam and Sarah rose from their chairs so quickly, one toppled over to the ground in their haste. Sarah had grabbed her bag, and was fishing wildly for what I could guess were the car keys. Sam was already through the screen door, Emily close on his heels. I stayed with Sarah, and listened to her whisper, "Please let her be okay," over and over again under her breath until she finally found the missing keys. Keys in hand, Sarah was now running out the door and I followed closely behind her.

"They've called Dr. Cullen. He might already be there." Emily called after Sam, who was now running toward the trees that edged along Emily's house.

I wanted to stay with Sarah, but my curiosity of why Sam hadn't gotten in the car with Emily and Sarah pulled me almost unwillingly toward him. The moment that he approached the tree lining, an occurrence happened that I could only describe as a small explosion. Irregularly shaped objects began flying through the air; and when I was able to briefly look at them scattered on the ground, I realized that they appeared to be bits of denim. When I looked up from examining the scraps of jeans lying at my feet, I was shocked to find myself staring into the eyes of a large black wolf.

His muzzle didn't move, but it was Sam's voice that I heard nonetheless.

Sienna…oh, my God…is that you? Sam's voice resonated clearly in my mind.

Amidst the confusion that was swirling in my mind, I could only be grateful that I had the chance to talk with someone before I was sure I had to leave.

Sam, I think that I'm dead. Will you tell my family…and Jake…that I love them? The emotion of leaving them was crashing down upon me now; the intensity was almost crippling.

I'm not sure what's going on exactly…but I don't think you need to say your goodbyes just yet. Can you follow me? Sam's thoughts were still echoing in my mind.

I focused my energy on following the gigantic wolf as he turned and began running toward the Black's house – where my body must now be.

When we arrived outside Jacob's house, Sam hesitated outside of the door.

I'm going to have to change back, Sienna. It will be the easiest way to tell the others that I've seen you. I want you to concentrate on being in your body again, and it will be alright – I promise you. I'll see you inside, okay?

I'm scared, Sam. But, I'll try. I thought, rather than spoke the words, back to him.

His giant head nodded once, and he began running toward the back of the house. I was alone, staring at the front door, willing myself to go in.

I concentrated on my body, and evaporated through the solid surface of the door. I was in a tiny kitchen, and heard voices coming from what sounded like the next room. I gravitated toward them, hesitantly.

I saw my body then, lying on what looked like a much abused couch. I've never considered myself particularly beautiful, but as I stared at my unconscious face, I couldn't help but be struck by my likeness to Snow White after she had bitten the poisoned apple. I had always been slightly jealous of Sarah, because she had the thick, shiny black hair and dark skin that people always envision when they think of natives. My hair was long and black, but thinner than hers, and was prone to curl at the ends when the air was full of moisture. My skin, while not as pale as what a Caucasian's skin would be, was still not the rich brown of my sister's. But, for the first time - staring at myself now - my lighter skin and black hair looked…well, nice together.

Jake was pacing frantically near the couch - his hands clasped behind his neck. It seemed that Jacob's worry was making him unable to sit, and my heart ached to see him like that. An older man, who I guessed was Jacob's father, was sitting in a wheelchair that was resting at the end of the couch that now held my feet. A blond doctor leaned over me, opening my eyelids to shine a ray of light into my eyes with a thin silver flashlight.

"What's wrong with her doc?" Jacob asked in a shaking voice - still pacing as he spoke.

"It appears that she has fainted due to the shock of your… admission, Jacob." The doctor responded while holding my wrist, presumably to feel my pulse.

"But, that was over a half an hour ago…she shouldn't be out this long…," Jake said, rubbing his face with both hands as though he wished to pull the skin off his bones.

Sam entered the living room from the back hallway then, having pulled on another pair of shorts. He quickly looked at my body, then to the doctor.

"She hasn't come around yet?" he asked, his eyes intent.

"Not yet…but don't worry. I've seen this before; some people protect themselves in this manner. When they are ready to face what is before them, they wake," the doctor reassured Sam simply.

"Sienna, are you still here?" Sam called, looking around at the ceiling. "It's time to come back. You're worrying Jake half to death," he was trying to lighten the mood – but I could still sense his worry that something had gone wrong and he'd lost me.

"That's not even funny, bro," Jacob snapped.

"Just wait," Sam responded.

Sam was right, it was time, and I concentrated all of my might on returning to my body - just as he had instructed me to do.

The next thing that I was aware of was Jake's huge hands on either side of my face.

"You can't do that to me again. I couldn't stand losing you – I lost myself right along with you," he whispered urgently in my ear.

"I'm sorry, Jake," I whispered. The lamps on either side of the couch seemed so bright, bringing alive the colors that I hadn't seen in what seemed like a long time. "What you were telling me…earlierit's true. Sam was a wolf… I talked to him. H-, he…helped me," I trailed off, looking up at Sam for confirmation that I wasn't crazy. Like in his wolf form, he answered my unspoken question with a single nod.

"Hello, Sienna. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen - but please just call me Carlisle. You gave everyone here quite a scare, and they thought that perhaps I could be of assistance," the handsome man smiled down at me.

"Thank you," I said softly. I was still disoriented; but quickly trying to absorb my present surroundings. As I looked into the doctor's eyes, I noticed that they were a rich golden color. I had never seen eyes that color before. I wondered if my eyes were still adjusting from what I had just been through.

"Would you mind if I checked a couple of things before I return home?" he asked, very politely.

"Um…sure," I said, still feeling a bit preoccupied by the color of his unusual eyes.

His very pale hands gently gripped my skull on either side, feeling for what I would assume were bumps. The moment his fingertips touched my skin, it felt like there were ten pin-pricks of ice contacting my scalp. I involuntarily jumped.

"I'm so sorry…I always forget to warm my hands before I check a patient," he chuckled, rubbing his hands on his pant legs.

"She didn't hit her head doc; I caught her way before she hit anything. She just went limp in my arms," Jake said in a rushed tone.

"Well, then, we'll have to assume it was the shock after all," Carlisle said, getting a thermometer out of his bag and putting it in my mouth. "Let's make sure that you're not showing any other signs of shock, alright?" He reached out to pat my shoulder, but evidently thought better of it and let his hand drop awkwardly at my side instead.

After the thermometer was put into place, and my nose was all that I was relying on to breathe, I thought I smelled the faint odor of some sort of cleaning solution. Even though the Blacks were an all-male household - I had to be impressed by how clean their house smelled.

The doctor took the thermometer out of my mouth, and looked thoughtful.

"You're running a bit warm," he said, looking cautiously back at me. "101.9."

"I have a feeling that isn't due to a fever, Dr. Cullen," Sam suddenly interjected.

"Ah…the legends continue to fascinate me," the doctor said, smiling back at Sam. "I've once again found myself out of my element. If you're sure that Sienna is well, I'll leave all of you to further discuss the matter privately."

"Many thanks, Carlisle," Jacob's father's deep voice said. "We are indebted to you, again."

"Make no mention of it, Billy. Now that the excitement of the wedding is over, we've found ourselves back to normal at our house," he chuckled.

"Send Edward and Bella our best when they return," Billy said, as the doctor secured his instruments back in his leather bag.

"Of course," Carlisle responded.

"Thank you…again," I said, smiling sheepishly up at the doctor as he rose to leave.

"Under different circumstances, I would have welcomed the opportunity to meet you," he said genuinely back to me. He nodded to everyone, and swiftly exited the room.

With the doctor's exit, my eyes now settled on Emily and Sarah huddled by the doorway.

"Sarah," I said; my voice thick with relief at finally seeing my sister again.

"I'm so glad that you are okay," Sarah said, cautiously coming over to me. She stole a quick glance at Jake as she reached the couch edge.

"I'd never hurt her Sarah, you have to know that," Jake said, sounding almost stricken.

Sarah looked away from investigating my face to look back at Jacob. "I've just seen too much, Jake. That's why mom hardly ever let us around you Quileute boys. She was afraid something like this might happen," she tried to smile, but it was a feeble attempt.

"Whether it's fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it…we would have found one another…eventually," Jake said, his eyes looking meaningfully back at Sarah.

"The funny thing is - I know that. But, it doesn't make me any less worried about it," Sarah replied, matching Jacob's intensity. I had never known my sister to be so bold before. "I'm going to have to ask you for one favor though – please take this slowly. Things don't all have to come crashing down on my sister at once – you saw what that did to her tonight," she continued fiercely.

"I just got caught up in the moment - I didn't expect her to feel the same way as I did. Everyone told me that it took time for someone to return our kind of feelings - but with Sienna and me, it felt instant all the way around."

I finally found my voice. "I'm conscience now, so would everyone please include me in this conversation? I need someone to make sense of what happened tonight. I felt terrified until I saw Sam, but he seemed to have an idea as to what might be going on…." I trailed off while I gave Sam an inquisitive look.

"I'd like to be clued in myself," Jacob said, turning to sit on the floor so that he could face Sam instead of me.

Sam exchanged a look with Emily and Billy.

"I communicated with Sienna when I was in wolf form. I saw her…in spirit…and the words that I thought in my mind traveled to her…"

"The same way that our thoughts travel in the pack," both Sam and Jake said, in unison. For Sam, it merely sounded as a statement of fact – for Jake; however, it sounded more like a question.

Billy looked slightly taken aback. "She appeared to you as spirit?"

A panicked knot began developing in the pit of my stomach. "Does that mean that I died tonight?" I asked in a hushed tone, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"No, turning into your spirit form is not dying – it's what our people could do…before the wolves became our chosen form," Sam said to me, in a comforting tone.

"Sarah," I hesitated, still talking in barely more than a whisper. "Have you had this happen…too?"

"No," she whispered back, reaching around my back to hug me to her. "I'm assuming that it's being here – having the imprint with Jake and all. I haven't had that yet. I'd be jealous if I didn't fully understand the dangers involved with…that kind of love."

"Imprint… what does that mean?" I asked, still confused.

"It means that you are my soul mate, and I knew it the moment I saw you. Thing is…I thought you felt it too…that's why I told you everything so soon. I don't want to keep anything from you – ever," Jake said, having turned to look at me intently.

"I did feel it - I felt drawn to you even when we were kids," I smiled, looking down with slight embarrassment at admitting it so openly. Jacob wasn't having any embarrassment, though – he put one long finger under my chin to lift it; to look into my face with an unashamed answering smile of his own.

"Billy…if she has the capability of shifting…even into another form… could she have the ability to… imprint as well?" Sam asked, in a serious tone.

Billy looked as though he pondered the idea a moment before answering. "I wouldn't see why not – it would make sense for anyone possessing the gene to have the capability to know who they were best mated with. The tribe's survival depended on it."

"I don't understand…Sarah," I said, exasperated. "Why would I have a gene that would make me turn into something else? It doesn't make sense - we're not even Quileute. Mom's never had this happen to her before…has she?"

Instead of answering me, Sarah looked at Sam.

"I guess it's time that I told you, Sienna," Sam paused to look uncomfortably at the ground before looking back at my confused face. "The reason that Emily has been so committed to include you and Sarah in our lives…well, it's because she thought I should know my half sisters."

I stared back at him in disbelief, trying to make sense of what he was telling me.

He cleared his throat, nervously. "You see… I have a different mother than you and Sarah… but we share the same father."