Sorry this took a while but I was so busy with my other story! Thanks for being one of the best reviewers I have, waterdemon9. This chapter's dedicated to you.
Emmett strode into my room, grinning from ear to ear. Ever since my little out burst with Embry, I had become slightly more vocal and no matter how slight it was, I could bet on Emmett to visit frequently.
"Hey Elliot!" he boomed, taking a seat on my bed. "Jasper, Alice and I are going hiking later at noon. Do you want to come?"
"I guess." I mumbled, shrugging. "I've been up here too much for my own good anyway." Emmett patted my back good naturedly. He tried to be gentle but I could tell that would bruise.
"Be ready around noon or else we're forcing you down!" he laughed, exiting my room.
"Okay, whatever." I sighed.
My fingers played with the small round locket which hung around my neck. My parents had given me this locket on my very first birthday. It played the same lullaby my father sang to me every night for eight years. Edelweiss always was his favorite lullaby so it only seemed right he'd sing it to me.
I sighed sadly. The tears had stopped falling ever since my out burst. The aching didn't recede though. I looked out the window to see a large, hulking figure walking towards the house.
Anger and hatred seared through my veins as I recognized that russet skin and black hair tied at the nape of his neck. He was Jacob, Embry's friend. Jacob had never done me any personal wrong, but as they say "Birds of a feather flock together." And I particularly hated the flock Embry was in.
I changed into camo pants, a black short sleeved shirt, a pair of hiking boots, and a storm gray jacket to top off the ensemble.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." I groaned. Even though I still had the occasional 'dead mode' on, something kept nagging me in the back of my head. It told me that I was wasting my life by moping around. But it also told me to get to know Jacob, so I naturally thought my instincts or consciences were wrong.
Taking one last look at the mirror, I walked down the empty hallway. The Cullens had shown me around once before but I was too out of it to notice what exactly they were showing me. At least I had paid attention when they were showing me from my room to the living room.
Their house had a lovely air of antiquity about it. They didn't go overboard like several grandparents did, but you could tell what was out of place in the modern world. A beautiful hand painted tapestry, an intricately carved bust of someone I didn't recognize made in 1956 – as the date on the bottom stated – and several other unique items lined the spacious corridor. I passed a magnificent mahogany cross on the way too.
Before I descended the large, winding staircase, I caught a glimpse of a life-sized family portrait on the wall. Carlisle stood beside Esme in the middle of the family, Jasper and Alice on their left, Emmett and Rosalie on the right and two others I'd never seen before. They were situated on the far left, beside Alice and Jasper.
The girl was naturally beautiful, to say the least. She had large, expressive brown eyes, long, silky brown hair framed her heart-shaped face and a pink blush was painted delicately on her cheeks. The man, who held her hand, had the same pale skin, golden eyes and dark purple shadows beneath his eyes as all the Cullens. He had messy bronze hair, a less bulky figure than Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper, and the look he wore would make you think he was the happiest man alive.
Their names were written in cursive beneath them. Isabella was the name of the brown eyed girl and Edward was the man who held her hand.
What I hated about the picture was that they all seemed so happy, so…together.
"Nice, isn't it?" came a deep voice from behind me. I jumped one foot into the air and spun around to see who it was.
Jasper stood gazing at the picture. I hadn't even heard him come up to me.
"Yeah, it is." I agreed half-heartedly. "I haven't seen Isabella and Edward. Where are they?"
"On their honeymoon." He answered simply. "They got married last month. I think they're planning on coming back soon."
"They must be ecstatic." I stated, trying not to sound bitter or angry. I calmed down about it though. They deserved each other.
"Let's go," smiled Jasper, taking my hand in his. His hands were so cold. He must've run them under cold water. "Emmett is rather impatient to leave and I think it unwise to keep him waiting." I nodded, allowing him to lead me down the stairs.
That was another weird thing about the Cullens: the way they spoke. They had a nice lilting about their voices and the way they spoke seemed to fit in with an earlier century. The nineteenth-century or the twentieth would probably have fit. I liked how they spoke though.
Emmett carried one large duffel bag and had an archer's bow slung over his shoulders. Jacob leaned on the far pillar with a picnic basket at his feet. Alice came skipping up to Jasper and I beaming. How one small person could have all that happy stored within her, I'll never know.
"Ready?" she smiled at me. I merely nodded. We all made our way to Emmett's Wrangler, stuffing the bags and the picnic basket in the trunk. I jumped into the back, sitting beside Jacob. He didn't seem to be breathing.
Emmett drove crazy fast. Don't get me wrong, I love fast rides. It's just the way Emmett's jeep slides on two wheels whenever he turned which threw me off. My heart was doing summersaults whenever the jeep tipped to far off the concrete. My nails dug into the leather seats, fearing that they would tear at the fabric. Even when he drove through the trees the speedometer stayed the same: one-hundred-and-twenty mph.
I was only too happy when we got to the clearing. It took us only fifteen minutes with Emmett's speed. I jumped out of the jeep and landed on all fours like a cat. My legs were to wobbly to take all my weight so I resorted using my arms as an extra pair of legs. I stretched, loosening up all the tense muscles.
Jasper jogged up to me holding the bow and a quiver of arrows slung across his back.
"You want to learn some archery?" he asked me, handing the bow to me. I held it in my fingers awkwardly. It seemed very expensive, but then again, when did the Cullens ever go for cheap things? I pulled the string experimentally. It snapped back into position with a slight quiver.
"I'll give it a shot." I smiled.
Jasper handed me an arrow and showed me how to hold it by using another bow they had packed along. My grip was clumsy and unsteady. My hands lost coordination often, making me drop the arrow more than once. Jasper sighed mockingly and wrapped his cool hands around me. One on the hand which held the bow ant the other was delicately wrapped around the hand which held the arrow.
My heartbeat quickened ever so slightly. I couldn't feel anything but calm around Jasper, which was odd. Then again, all of the Cullens seemed like oddities to me.
"Just aim straight. Find your target and relax your thoughts on everything but the target." He whispered in my ear. A series of tingling rolled down my spine.
"I got it, Jasper." I sighed. He let go of me gently. Jasper acted like a big brother to me. That much I could see.
I stretched the bow taut firmly. I aimed for a large wooden tree. With one last adjustment, I let the arrow fly straight and true.
Stupid arrow landed twelve feet from the target.
"That's alright sport." Emmett laughed, ruffling my hair. Jasper grabbed an arrow and aimed for the exact tree I attempted to hit. With one fluid pull, his arrow soared gracefully into the air. It flew straight and true until it hit the very knot I aimed for in the center.
"Practice makes perfect." He smiled. I forced a smile but it looked like a pained grimace.
"Maybe you should lay off the smiling." said Jacob who was leaning against the jeep. I would have thrown something at him if it wasn't for Emmett's jeep. With the precision aims I had I would most likely smash a window.
Another hour or archery flew by and the clouds began to thin. The weather forecast predicted a rare bout of sunshine last night so I wasn't too surprised. I wanted to feel the warmth again. I just wished my parents could enjoy it alongside me. I sighed melancholically, fingering the locket.
"Elliot," called Emmett. "Alice, Jasper and I will be back in a bit okay? Jasper's boss called up and he said he wanted Jasper and Alice for another photo shoot." He handed me the picnic basket and dashed to his jeep. He waved at me from the driver's seat and yelled "If you need to contact us, use the cell phone in the basket!" and with that, they drove back into the trees.
I silently laid the blanket on the damp grass and sat on it. The meadow was soon engulfed by brilliant rays of sunshine peering through the clouds. The bluebirds and swallows sang a beautiful melody as I sat on the checkered blanket, sipping on a cool can of soda. I felt a pair of eyes burning into the back of my head so I turned around.
Sure enough, Jacob was staring at me. He was sitting in the shade of the trees.
"Are you going to come over here or do you want me to bring the food to you?" I called sarcastically.
"I'd prefer the second option." He yelled back, grinning. I rolled my eyes.
"Suit yourself! If you're not standing, I'll eat your share!" I was just about to eat a cold turkey sandwich when Jacob suddenly snatched it out of my hands and swallowed the thing whole. "Hey! That was mine." I said.
"You snooze, you lose." Jacob had pulled out another sandwich and started scoffing it down. I shrugged and pulled out a chicken sandwich and nibbled on the crust absentmindedly. My fingers played with the small locket, watching it glimmer in the sun. I made absolutely no attempt to talk to the Quileute giant beside me. I preferred it that way, sadly Jacob didn't think so.
"So," he began. "do you miss your parents."
"No shit." I growled, hoping he'd drop the subject. His russet finger touched the pendant delicately.
"May I see?" he asked me. I slid the chain off my neck and reluctantly handed it over. Jacob's hand was so big and it looked powerful, I feared my locket would be crushed with the slightest pinch.
He pinched the chain and let my locket dangle before his face. Jacob's hands were so gentle with the tiny quail egg-sized trinket. He took particular interest on the back of the locket. I wondered what he saw. The back was a smooth rounded surface, nothing special about it at all.
"Elliot?" he said, his chocolate brown eyes turned to me.
"What is it?"
"Did you ever notice that the back of your locket is a different metal compared to the rest of it?" he held it up and pointed out the color difference. The texture of the back was less refined too.
"Okay, so what?" I said. "The gold on the front should have been softer and more refined to have it etched and embedded with emeralds."
"I think it's covering something up." Jacob said, experimentally checking the sides of the locket. He began to pick at the side where the back and the clasp met. It looked like he was trying to remove something.
"Hey, don't scratch it!" I said, attempting to snatch it out of his hands. Jacob jumped up and stood at his full height, still picking at the locket.
Without thinking of the consequences, I leapt up on Jacob's broad back, and dug my nails into his shoulders, hoisting myself up as if I was rock climbing. Once my head popped up over his shoulder, I locked my knees on either side of Jacob's waist and clawed wildly to get the locket back before he damaged it even further.
"Give it!" I screamed, infuriated beyond belief. His arms were much longer than I'd thought.
"I've almost got it!" he said.
With one terrifying 'pop!' a golden shell fell to the grass. I stared at it with horror etched across my face. This guy broke my most prized possession! I grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked hard on it. I thought of sinking my teeth into his neck (I like biting people when I get angry. It never grows old…) but that didn't seem like a very good idea.
"Oi!" he growled, wincing. "That hurts, Elliot!"
"You bastard!" I screeched, pulling even harder. "I've had that locket since I was a year old! That's the only momentum I have left of my parents. You destroyed it! I'm going to slaughter you so painfully your ancestors will feel it!!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Let go! Elliot, look at the locket!" he swayed the locket within arm's reach. The very warm locket was clenched tightly in my right hand in world record breaking speed. I jumped off his tall frame and sat Indian-style on the blanket, running my fingers over the newly exposed backside.
"See, look here." Jacob pointed out the shiny new back with words engraved to them. "I told you so."
"You still broke it." I pointed out childishly.
"What does it say?" asked Jacob. My pinky finger traced the words written in the same cursive font the E was written in. The writing was tiny so I barely made it out. It seemed that a short poem was written on the miniscule back – which, I'd forgotten to mention, was flat so it looked like half a quail egg.
Elliot Heather Chase
July 18, 1993
We will always, always be together,
Through rain and shine,
One way or the other.
Stay happy.
Mom and Dad
My hands trembled slightly upon reading the tiny words. The wound in my heart reopened and bled despair and loss profusely. I had completely forgotten Jacob was still beside me, so I let the tears stream down my face. I held the locket as close to my heart as was possible, kneeling over from the pain I felt. The tears flowed relentlessly, staining my face and the picnic blanket in briny liquid.
"How can you say that when you aren't even here?!" I sobbed, talking to the mere memories of my beloved parents as if they were standing right there. The mere thought of that tore me in two.
Two large arms pulled me up and drew me closer to a warm chest. I buried my face into Jacob, seeking all the comfort and warmth he provided. His hand pulled my hair loose of the pony tail and then he began to run his hand through my locks.
I calmed down after a while, but the tears and sobs still continued. Jacob seemed sincerely concerned about me and that was all I could ask for. My body trembled slightly every time I sobbed and when that happened Jacob would run his hand soothingly up and down the length of my back.
"I miss them so much." I moaned pathetically into his damp shirt.
"I'm sure they miss you too." Jacob reassured me, cradling me gently on his chest. "But I think that they would want you to move on and be happy."
"Easier said than done." I sniffed. He smiled at me, brushing the stray strands away from my face.
"You have all the help you need."
"You'd… be willing?" I wondered. The moment those words left my lips I inwardly swore at myself to keep my big mouth shut.
"Sure." Jacob said, a little uncomfortably.
"Why are you doing this?" I got out of his bear hug and plopped down on the blanket. "You hardly even know me and yet you… help me." Jacob shrugged and looked up at the cloudy sky.
"You remind me of a girl I'd known before." He said, absentmindedly picking at the grass. "She had almost the same problem you do. Her boyfriend left her and she was a friend of mine so I thought that maybe I could…cheer her up. I succeeded too. We became very close friends and I stitched her up the best I could. I did it better than her own father." A small smile graced his features. It was the same smile my father had when he thought of my mother.
"Did you like her?" I pondered. Jacob grimaced and looked down at the grass. I suppose he didn't want to talk about it.
"I did." He answered unexpectedly. "Heck, I loved her with all my soul. I think she did too. But he had to come back and take her away from me." His fists were clenched into fists and he looked angry. I guess I had similarities with Jacob Black: we both had someone special taken from us.
I stroked the back of his hand uncertainly, hoping I could calm him as he calmed me. He relaxed slightly and exhaled deeply.
"It hurts to lose someone you love." I stated, gazing at the picture of my parents in the locket.
"It hurts even more to see your loved ones die." Jacob sighed. "It would probably be better if we had no feelings."
"So much better." I agreed. "You wouldn't hurt as much."
"I heard you got into a fight with Embry." A smirk formed on Jacob's full lips. I nodded, looking at him straight in the eyes.
"He pissed me off. He called me pathetic, ugly and smelly." I grimaced as I said the last word. I was particularly touchy when it came to body odor.
"So you swore at him so badly when he slept that night all he could hear in his dreams was you swearing." Jacob laughed heartily. I cracked a small smile, the very first since my parents had died.
"Seriously?" I asked him.
"Seriously." Jacob confirmed, whipping the tears away. "Oh, and Elliot?"
"Yeah?" I asked.
"You should smile more often." He stood up and stretched, watching the jeep come into view. "You look pretty when you smile."
If I were any other teenage girl, who was hopeful enough to think a guy would like her just because he gave her some advice, my heart would have probably jumped out of my chest.
But I wasn't what I called normal, so I contented myself with a small blush and a lazy grin.
We boarded the jeep and sat in the very back together. This time, it was only Emmett and Jasper in the truck. The time in the meadow flew fast, too fast for my liking. I can't believe I admitted that staying in the meadow with Jacob Black was fun. I didn't even notice Emmett's crazy driving because I was reminiscing.
"Hey Elliot." Jacob called, pulling me out of my reverie. "You wanna hang out at La Push sometime?"
"I guess." I shrugged.
"Great, let's say, tomorrow?"
"Sure…"
In the next chapter of "The Crimson Tears":
"Carlisle," called Emmett worriedly. "What's going on?"
Carlisle took a deep sigh and looked out of the window, with a worried expression that made him look older than thirty, practically impossible for a vampire.
"Edward's called." He said distractedly. "They're coming home…"
Please review if you'd want more.