AN: Hey hey hey! Everyone having a good Friday? I hope so, because mine is pretty crappy. *GASP* I know, I'm shocked too. But I was promised a trip to FL, but it was canceled at the last minute! Gr . . . . Anyways, here is chapter 3 of An Imprint with a Tail! Yippee! Oh, and thank you to all of the readers of this story who've added this to your Favorite Stories list and Story Alerts, and me to your Favorite Authors list and Author Alerts thingy! =D I almost cried when I saw those Alert emails in my inbox. So, without further distraction, here is Chapter 3! R&R, please, with chocolate chips and marshmallows on top! I need at least 6 for the next chapter; I know y'all can do it, with all of these Story Favorites being made. =D
Disclaimer: You know, I'm getting pretty sick of these disclaimers; does Stephenie Meyer go through stories and sues writers who don't have this? I love you girl, but that would be pretty messed up. (The Pack and Cullens aren't mine. =P So there, Stephenie!)
3. Runaway—Straight into La Push (T POV)
I thought that leaving my father was going to be the hard part. Boy, was I wrong. Lacking street-smarts really can kill a girl. Everywhere I turned there was some sicko lying in a dark alleyway or behind some vegetation, or someone trying to get me to buy some "stuff". I was extremely glad that I was out of the city quickly and into the open ocean. This is where it's exceedingly unpredictable.
Everyone knows, even me, not to go out in the open sea alone. Things can hurt you there: sharks, barracudas, killer whales, boats, harpoons...numerous things. I swam at a medium, determined pace. I had to show I wasn't afraid to things that saw me. I also had to move slow enough to not draw unwanted attention to myself. Something was pulling me up north, so I traveled by night and slept by day. It was different than what I was used to seeing, I can tell you that.
I had to make a few stops to the mainland for supplies since I was low on food. The tug on my heart never decreased until I entered the freezing seas. Shelter was necessary when I spotted one of father's guards in a patch of kelp. It's been a few days since I left, so he probably already defrosted and sent the armada after me.
Ducking and leaping from bush to bush, I slipped inside a deserted cave. The underwater cavern I entered was dark and spooky with things shifting in the dark and pale eyes glaring at me in the shadows. I pulled out a small flashlight and lit it to keep them away while I rested.
"Who goess there?" a hollow voice hissed from the darkness. "It'ssss rude to linger in doorways, dear. Come clossser, where I can sssee you." Suddenly two yellow eyes lit up in front of my face, and I let out a shocked screech. "I'm sssory, child. I haven't had company in awhile, ssso you mussst forgive me."
"Of course," I replied in a knee-jerk reaction. "It's rude of me to intrude here unannounced."
"Sssuch mannerssss. Sssomething tellsss me that you aren't from the ghetto," she whispered. "I am Luna, the goddesssss of the ssseasss. Who are you?"
"T-talia, ma'am," I stammered, suddenly feeling underdressed to be meeting a goddess. "Talia Gabriella Parisa Sinclaire. I've been running away from my father. I was sick of my future being chosen for me, so I went out to search for love by myself."
"Talia..." she mused from her place next to me. "It meansss 'dew of heaven', and Gabriella is the female version of 'the moon.' Parisa also means 'angelic' or 'like a fairy.' You have been chossen for greatnessss, but instead you choossse to find true love. That is very wissse for your age."
"Thank you, Luna," I murmured with gratitude embedded into my voice."It means a lot." Pausing, I nervously twisted a lock of my hair. Gathering my courage, I asked her a question that's been bothering my nerves for a while. "May I ask to see your face?"
"Yessss, you may," she responded. Suddenly light filled the cave, illuminating the goddess in front of me. She had waist-length golden hair flying around her heart-shaped face, with green eyes. Long ears jutted out from the sides of her head, and one had a hoop earring with a cross on it. Intricate tattoos addorned her arms and legs, but they just added to her beauty. She had legs but webbed feet, and they paddled back and forth in the water. "Thisss good enough?"
"Yes, ma'am. You're pretty," I said without thinking, causing a dark blush to form on my cheeks. She snorted in amusement and glanced down at me. Unfortunately, she had two feet of height on me, and I was almost seven feet long, including my tail.
"Thank you, child," she told me. "Now, go. I got rid of your guard that was following you. Head north, and you shall find your love there."
"Thank you, Luna. Thank you," I acknowledged. The light was fading from the room, but I had one more question. "Why do you choose to live in a cave?"
"Who said anything about a cave?" she answered mysteriously, vanishing in a cloud of bubbles. I sighed and left without another question.
As I traveled up north, the scenery changed a lot. The bright and enchanting colors of the Pacific wildlife and plant-life began to transform into depressing grays, dark greens, and dull silver. The exhaustion began to filter through my brain, and I had to rest soon. Still, I battled the currents until I could handle no more. My fingers began to go numb first, then my arms, and then my tail. I panicked, trying to feel something, but nothing worked. Soon the waves carried me to a beach, shoving me onto the shore.
I tilted my head upward to see my surroundings and saw a large expanse of open beach, unpopulated and completely free of trash. A pit for bonfires resided to my left with several logs cluttered around it in no particular order. Farther down the beach a lone tree with pale roots twisting up in the air sat on a pile of rocks. Feeling a tingling in my tail, I looked down to see my tail splice into two human legs, clad in a pair of boy shorts. A large beauty mark shaped like a crescent moon stood out on my left leg, while a small flat mole resided on my right ankle. Other than that, my mocha-colored skin was uninterrupted. I only had my beater and a bra to cover my upper torso, if you didn't count my bag and purse.
The freezing temperatures made it extremely tough to get warm. I shuddered and curled into a small ball, feeling my eyes slip closed immediately. I was still awake and could hear everything, though. The waves gently lapped the shore, and some people were far off to the side, maybe a few hundred feet away. Their voices carried to my ears above the light rain, deep and smooth with a hint of youth laced within them. The conversation was too chaotic for me to decipher, but it sounded like they were really close like brothers. How sweet.
My thoughts pranced around in my head, going from one subject to the next. I hope I can find somewhere to stay because I need to keep out of the water. Just in case my father wants to try and drag me home. Then there's school. What am I supposed to do, try going here? What about the pull that brought me here? It wasn't there anymore. Maybe my lover was here, right underneath my nose...
I was disrupted when a loud shout sounded from my left. "Hey!" My head snapped up, and I wish it didn't. Five guys—more like five men—scrutinized my position on the ground, inquisitiveness plain on their faces.
They began to walk over, and I got a better view of them when they were closer. The guys were gigantic, with muscles everywhere covered by smooth brown skin. They looked alike with the same dark eyes and black hair, cropped short on their heads. On the other hand, they each appeared to be different. One had wiry muscles and was very lean. There was another with a hell of a lot of authority in his stance, and I tensed briefly before moving on to the next. That was when I saw him.
He could have been in his early twenties, with his godlike looks and apparent youth. His face was angular, with his chin jutting out slightly. His mouth was stretched into a bright, teeth-flashing smile that dazzled me completely. His nose was slightly crooked, and his eyebrows were bushy pencil marks on his face. In one of his ears, a gold stud glimmered slightly, evident with his short cut. I avoided his eyes because I've always saved the entrance to the soul for last. My gaze ventured downwards, where the temptation of a sculptured chest was in my view. Yummy...
Putting my mind back on track, I peered into his intense eyes and lost myself. His eyes—oh lord, they were dark chocolate orbs that seemed to project a warmth that wrapped around me fully. I felt my world shift, my thoughts beginning to circle around this handsome man in front of me. I couldn't look away. What's this guy's name?
I was brought back from my ogling when the authoritative one cleared his throat awkwardly. I shifted my eyes to the other guy, but I still felt mystery man's intent gaze on my face. "Who are you?" My voice only trembled slightly when I asked.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at me. "I am Sam, and they are Embry, Jacob, Quil, and Paul," he introduced, pointing each individual out. Ah... Paul. That was mystery man's name. Fitting. "Who are you?"
"Sam," I murmured to myself, my eyes traveling down to my hands. "Why do I know Sam?" A small sense of familiarity settled within my chest, and I studied him closely. Nothing looked familiar, but it was simply there. Abruptly the exhaustion began to shut me down. I glanced at him with fear plain in my eyes. "My name is Talia," I choked out. The darkness swarmed around my eyesight, and everything went black.