Everyone gapes at Sam. "No." Comes a voice. I turn and see it is the boy who I didn't recognize. "I'm not setting a foot in that house."
Sam sighs. He seems to do that a lot. "Okay, I understand, Jacob. You don't have to go."
So that was Jacob. I look at him. He looks…dead. I can see devastation radiating off of him. I feel bad for him. He must have really loved that girl.
They begin discussing who will go. "Well I'm definitely going," Sam announces. "And so are you." He's looking at me.
"Then I'm going too." It's Paul. I swear he's bipolar. One minute he's a jerk, then he's nice, then he ignores me and shakes me off, and now he's protective. Sam still wants two more people to go, so they begin discussing again.
I turn to Paul in exasperation. "Who are the Cullens?" I ask.
Paul leans in close to me. "They are the vampires that live in Forks, the town right out of La Push."
I shudder. "So I have to go into a house full of vampires?" I really don't want to do that…
Paul takes my hand and rubs his thumb on it in smoothing circles. "They won't hurt you. And if they tried, I'd be right there."
Okay, I've had enough of this. I jerk my hand back. Paul's eyes are full of hurt. "Paul," I snap, "stop it. You can't be a jerk one minute, nice the next, and then ignore me after that!"
He looks confused. "When did I ignore you?"
"Just a second ago! I tried to take your hand, and he pulled away…" I look down biting my lip. I don't want him to know that he hurt me.
I feel his hand on my face, and my gaze is directed back to him. "It's not like that, Cara," he insists. "I was really mad that the dirty bloodsucker…marked you like that and I was afraid that I'd lose control and …hurt you."
"What do you mean, 'lose control'?" I ask. "Sam keeps saying that…"
He leans in closer, so I can feel his breath on my face. He smells so good…like the woods, the sea, and just a little hint of…cinnamon. "You've seen Emily's face." It wasn't a question, but he seemed to be waiting for a response, so I nod. "One day, Sam got really mad around Emily and…lost control. He phased into a wolf, and now you see the consequence."
I gasp. He nods. "He has to live every day knowing he did that to her. I don't want to do something like that to you."
I nod. "I understand."
"So it's decided." We both look at Sam when he says this. "Paul, Cara, Jared, Quil, and I will go."
The boy named Jacob is now standing with Leah, who hasn't said a word to me this whole time. "I don't see why we have to go to all this trouble," he mutters. "We could catch the bloodsucker easily if he's still here."
Sam glares at Jacob. "And how do you propose we do that?"
Now Jacob looks at me. The devastation in his eyes is masked with hostility. "We use her," he gestures to me, "as bait."
Paul lets out a fierce roar and pushes me behind him. He is shaking and growling wildly. He's in a crouch and his arms are spread out. "Take that back!" he roars. I've never heard anything more terrifying than the growls coming from deep in his chest.
"Or. What." Jacob's words are a challenge. Paul doesn't answer that.
"If this had been Bella we were talking about, things would be a little different!"
Now Jacob was trembling too. "Don't you ever say that name! You have no idea what you're talking about!"
Both boys are facing each other, wild growls emerging from their throats. They only thing separating them is the kitchen table. Sam looks from me to Emily in horror. "Help me get them outside!" he yells to the other boys. But Jacob and Paul don't need any help. Jacob sprints out the door, Paul close behind. I quickly run out too, but I stay on the front porch.
The boys are circling each other slowly, snarling ferociously. "I don't see why you're so against the idea Paul," Jacob snaps. "Unless you're too weak to protect her."
Paul's growls get louder. "Well at least I know she won't be running off with a leech anytime soon!"
That seems to do Jacob in. He opens his mouth to reply, but an earsplitting howl. I close my eyes and cover my ears. I open them again and Jacob isn't there. In his place is a massive rusty wolf.
He had to be twice the size the Seth was. And he doesn't look like a cute puppy. He is snarling, his teeth snapping. He lunges for Paul, still human. I scream in fear. Paul jumps to meet the attack.
He hits Jacob, but as an enormous silver wolf. He changed so fast; I hardly saw it. When they collided, it sounded like thunder. They were still snarling and snapping at each other. But they began to retreat into the woods.
Sam looked at Emily. "We'll be needing pants," he told her. He quickly kissed her, and then he was running into the woods. I could see him trembling as he disappeared.
I wildly turned to Seth. "Are they gonna be okay?!"
I heard Leah mutter, "Oh for God's sake…" and return into the house. Meanwhile Embry looked at Jared. "Twenty bucks says Jacob gets a chunk out of Paul." I look at him in horror.
"No way, Paul's gonna get some of Jacob. I've never seen him so pissed. You're on."
Seth saw my expression and laughed. "Relax, Cara. They'll be fine. Werewolves heal incredibly fast."
I nodded and walked numbly into the kitchen. I sat on a kitchen chair in disbelief. To think yesterday the only thing I was worried about was whether or not people would like me here…
Someone sighed and sat next to me. It was Emily. "Don't worry. They'll be back soon. You'll get used to it. Paul has…quite the temper."
I nod. "Apparently…this is so much to take in."
Emily smiled sympathetically. "I know, sweetheart. Believe me. But it's pretty great. Like having one big family."
"Yeah, except Jacob and Leah both hate me."
Emily frowns. "Leah just has to…get used to this. It's hard enough being the only girl in a pack of werewolves. She's had a pretty tough life. And as for Jacob, he is so heartbroken. The Cullen's son, Edward, married the girl Jacob loves, Bella."
I gasp. "Oh my goodness. It must be hard enough to lose someone like that, but to lose them to your enemy…" I trail off.
Then the door opens. Everyone walks in, including Sam, Jacob, and Paul. Paul takes his seat next to me. There is a huge pink scar going down his arm that wasn't there earlier.
"Oh my god Paul!" I exclaim. I put my hands on his arm, lightly trailing down the still-fading scar. "Are you alright?"
He looked at me and groaned. "You worry too much Cara. I'm fine! Looks, it's already almost gone."
I look. True enough, the scar is almost gone. "Wow. You do heal fast." I say, impressed.
He grinned and shook his head. "Cara, Cara, Cara. You have so much to learn."
"Aright you two. Let's go." We nod to Sam and stand up. "You gone on out to my truck. I'm going to call Carlisle to let him know we're coming."
We walk outside to find that the inside of Paul's truck is full with Jared and Quil. Paul shrugs. "Looks like we'll be in the back. We walk to the bed of the pickup truck. I am about to climb in when my feet are swept from under me. I let out a yelp of surprise. Paul just chuckles, a deep rumble, and sets me gently into the bed of the truck, then he hops in himself.
"I could have done that myself," I say, trying to pretend to be angry. He rolls his eyes. "I'm so sure…" he muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I demand.
"Well, there's that," he pointed to the cut on my face, "and the fact that the first time I saw you, you ran into me."
I roll my eyes. "Humph. Whatever." I turn away from him. I loved flirting with him.
I feel breathing in my ear. "Oh I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings?"
I turn to retort, and all comebacks are out of my mind. We are so close. Inches away. He seems to notice too. His eyes widen, then they seem to darken. "Cara," he says huskily. "I need to tell you…"
Suddenly the engine starts, and the truck jolts forward, sending me flying into Paul. He caught me and situated me to that I'm sitting in his lap. Which is a good thing, because it's starting to rain, and it's freezing outside. I snuggle into Paul's chest, grateful for the warmth. "is the body heat a werewolf thing?" I ask.
Paul nods. We sit in silence after that. I look at Paul, and he seems distressed. "Hey, are you okay?" I ask tentatively. He looks at me, worry in his eyes.
"How can you sit here with me?"
I look at him with confusion. "I don't…understand-,"
"I turned into a freakin' wolf, Cara. Right in front of your eyes! How can you not be terrified?! I can only imagine how I must've looked…" He trails off, shame all over his face.
I sigh and look at Paul in the eyes. "Paul, don't be ridiculous. I'll admit, it was a little frightening, but I'm definitely not scared of you. I feel safer with you than with anyone else I've ever known. The only thing I'm scared of right now is going into a house of vampires."
Paul smiles, but I can still see the worry in his eyes. "Don't worry about them," he says with confidence. "If they even think about hurting you, they'll have to deal with us."
I grin and snuggle further into his chest. The rain is coming down pretty hard now, and I'm getting really wet. And cold. Paul wraps his arms around me. "Come with me later," he whispers in my ear. "There are some things I need to tell you. Alone."
I nod my head. Of course, I'll have to take a shower first. I grimace at how terrible I must look. And smell. It doesn't seem to bother Paul though, whose eyes are closed with content while he holds me.
The truck turns off the highway onto what seems to be a driveway. It was long. We drove for almost five more minutes before the truck slowed to a stop. I gasped at what stood before me. These vampires had it made. I'd never seen a house so huge. We walk up to the front door, but before anyone can knock, the door opens.
"Welcome," says a strikingly beautiful man. He has golden hair and was as pale as the man-no, vampire-from last night. But unlike the other vampire, this one's eyes are a gorgeous butterscotch color. The man's eyes shift from Sam to me. "Hello," he says with a warm smile. "You must be Cara. I'm Carlisle. Come in." He walks into the house, everyone else following. Paul links my fingers with his and squeezes. "Don't be scared. They may be leeches, but they won't hurt you," he assures me.
We walk into the beautiful mansion. There are six others in the room besides Carlisle. They are all absolutely stunning, all with the same golden eyes. Carlisle introduces them to me: Esme, a motherly looking figure who greets me with a warm smile; Edward, who nods in acknowledgement; Alice, a small pixie of a girl who grins at me; Jasper, who says hello and puts an arm around Alice; and Emmett, who is terrifyingly huge. The last of the Cullens to be introduced is Rosalie. As soon as I see her I feel disappointment replace my nervousness. I am sad, for I know there is no possible way I could ever compare to the beauty in front of me. It's unnatural for someone so beautiful to exist. She ignores me and flips her blond hair in impatience.
"Well," Carlisle says, breaking my reverie, "now that everyone's introduced, why don't you tell us about your encounter last night?"
I swallow, the nervousness back. But then I feel a wave of calm sweep over me. It felt strange, like something was inside of me. I remember this feeling. It was similar to the feeling from last night. I look at the one called Jasper. He is looking at me with a mild expression of concentration. "How are you…doing that?" I whisper.
He seems shocked. "I-well-,"
"She means your ability," the bronze-haired one says. What was his name? Edward. "When some of us are changed," he says to me, "we develop…abilities. Mine is mind reading, Alice's is to see the future, and Jasper can sense and manipulate emotions. He was trying to make you feel less nervous."
Esme looks at me with confusion. "But how could she tell? No one can ever tell, unless they already know."
Before I can reply, Edward answers for me. "She remembers the feeling from last night, right?"
I nod. Carlisle clears his throat. "Thank you Edward. But now I think Cara should tell the story."
I begin to tell them the same things I told the pack earlier. When I finish, Carlisle nods, his expression thoughtful.
"I think you're right," Edward agrees. I look at him, bewildered. No one had said anything…
"He was agreeing with what I was thinking," Carlisle explains. "I was thinking of a vampire Edward, Esme, and I encountered before anyone else was with us. His name was Lucian. He had a very unique ability, sort of a combination of Edward and Jasper's. He could get inside your mind, and figure out your deepest fears and desires. Then he could create sort of a haze in your mind, hypnotizing you, making you see what he wants you to see, and getting you to do whatever he wants with little resistance. Very useful for hunting. If you could, Cara, try to remember exactly what he looked like and sounded like. Also try to remember the feeling he gave you. Picture it in your head so Edward can take a look."
I close my eyes and remember. He was of average height, slender, but strong. He had light brown hair that went to his shoulders. I remember the accent. And the feeling. It would be hard to forget that.
I open my eyes and peer at Edward anxiously. He nods his head and looks at Carlisle. "It's him," he confirms.
Carlisle sighed. "I was afraid of that," he says wearily. Then he looks at everyone else. "I'm afraid then that we have another James on our hands then. Once he sees what he wants, he won't stop until he gets it." Paul quickly pulls me against his chest. Carlisle continues. "I'm afraid we'll probably have to destroy him."
Edward murmurs something so quietly that I can't hear. Carlisle's expression is one of surprise, and his gaze shifts briefly to Paul and me then back to Edward. "I see," he mutters. Then he looks at Sam. "If we see him, we'll try to inform him of the…situation and convince him to leave. If he refuses, we'll end him. But for now, why don't we go into my office and discuss possible changes on the boundary lines."
Sam nods and motions to Quil, Jared, and Paul. "Let's go."
Paul reluctantly lets go of me and goes with Sam and the others. Rosalie and Edward also leave with them. Which leaves me with Alice, Jasper, Esme, and Emmett. Esme looks at me kindly. "Why don't you sit down dear," she suggests. "It could take awhile."
I nod and go to the couch. Emmett is already sitting on it, and I perch as far away from the giant as I can. He looks at me and chuckles. "Don't be scared. I don't bite!" he laughs at his own joke. "Well, not you, anyway."
Alice dances to Emmett and punches his arm. The grace that these creatures move in is astounding. "Don't be a jerk, Emmett," she scolds. "Can't you see she's terrified?"
I try to hide my trembling from them, but it isn't working well. Then I feel the wave of calm come over me again. I look at Jasper. "Thanks," I mumble. He nods.
I look at Alice. "So can you really see the future?" I ask shyly.
She grins and nods. "I can, but it can change as soon as someone changes their mind. You know what I'm saying?" I nod. "I also can't see the future of any of the werewolves. Or of people when they are with werewolves. Which means I probably won't be getting many visions of you."
After that small conversation, the rooms lapses into silence. Emmett turns the television to Comedy Central and we watch that, though I couldn't tell you anything we watch. After what seems like an eternity, everyone comes out of Carlisle's office.
"Thank you for being understanding about this," Sam says formally.
"It's no problem," Carlisle assures him.
"Tell him not to worry," Edward says to Sam, and I quickly realize it's in response to something Sam thought. "Bella's in Florida with her mother for another month. She wanted to have time to say goodbye before-,"
"I get it," Sam interrupts. "I'll tell Jacob."
"One more thing," Carlisle says cautiously. "I was wondering if maybe we could…get a sample of Lucian's scent off of Cara. It would make finding him easier."
"Absolutely not," Paul says with a calmness that is almost as frightening as when he's angry. He puts an arm around me. "I don't want you bloodsuckers that close."
"That's not your decision," Sam says with authority. "It's up to Cara."
Everyone looks at me. I glance at Paul and smile weakly. "It'll be fine," I say in an attempt to reassure him. His face is full of restraint as he backs away from me. Then, one by one each member of the Cullen family walk up and sniff my neck, right where the hickey is. Emmett shudders. "Ugh, smells like dog," he mutters. The last one to do it is Jasper. He hesitantly smells me and immediately his eyes darken. He clenches his jaw and deliberately backs away. Carlisle eyes him warily. "I think it would be best for you to leave now," he tells us.
I am happy to oblige. The Cullens are kind, but it is too creepy to be around people who should be dead. We leave the mansion in the same way we came: Sam, Jared, and Quil in the truck, and me nestled in Paul's lap in the back. While we ride home, Paul tells me about the werewolves some more, explaining the high temperatures, the growth, the mind reading when they're wolves, and the fact that they didn't age. It is fascinating.
We pull up to Emily's house and Paul hops out with me in his arms. "You ready to go?" He asks.
"I need to get ready first," I say with finality. "I need to take a shower. I reek."
He laughs loudly. "You smell fine to me," he insists.
"Well to most normal people, I smell disgusting I'm sure. I'm showering first whether you like it or not."
He rolls his eyes. "Fine," he groans dramatically. I go into the house and walk up to Emily, asking if I can use the shower.
"Sure hon. And I've got some clothes that I'm sure will fit you. And some makeup if you want to use some."
I smile and she leads me into the bathroom, a change of clothes in her hands. A while later I am ready, dressed in jeans and a purple long-sleeved v-neck shirt of Emily's. I put on some eyeliner and mascara then dry my hair. I decide to leave it down. I have to admit, I look pretty good. Purple is definitely a good color on me. I head down the stairs and slip on my tennis shoes. Paul is in the kitchen talking to Jared. He stops talking when he sees me and looks at me with awe. I blush and look at the ground. Before I know it he is tilting my chin upward. "You look beautiful," he murmurs.
I feel my blush deepen. "Uh, let's go," I stammer.
Paul nods and we walk outside. He takes my hand and begins walking into the woods. I look to the sky. The sun was beginning to set. It was getting dark. My heartbeat quickens. "Do we have to go in there?" I ask.
Paul looks at me. "Don't worry. Nothing will hurt you. Just hold onto my hand, and close your eyes. I'll lead you. We'll be there before you know it."
I comply and shut my eyes, pretending we are somewhere else. Paul is an expert at leading me; I didn't trip once. Eventually we stop and I open my eyes to the most beautiful view. We are at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Behind us is all woods. I sit down. "It's beautiful," I whisper.
Paul smiles. "Okay, now stay here. I'll be right back." Before I can object he is dashing into the woods. As soon as he leaves the sun dips fully below the horizon, the moonlight the only light left. I take deep breaths. Calm down Cara. He'll be right back. He promised. Then it hits me. The only person that would make me feel better is Paul. Stupid girl. I think. And I have good reason to think that:
For I realize that I've fallen in love with Paul.