"Don't worry, we're here to help you." Sam said smiling at me.
It was the first real smile I had ever seen him make.
He walked over to me and reached down and messed up my hair,
one of those loving but annoying kind of gestures you get from older relatives.
"Your Dad didn't explain very much to you did he kid?" He asked with a laugh. Before walking into the living room and sitting on the couch. Emily took my plate from me to wash it, and I just stood there- not quite sure of what to do.
"Go on Kitty get changed." Jacob said to me with a smirk. Kitty? Seriously? Was all I could think as I glared at him. Him and Jared laughed as I stood there annoyed. Jared laughed with him for a moment and then joined in on the conversation.
"I'd suggest something you don't care much for, cause it will be shredded. Unless of course you just want to go naked- I promise none of us will mind, well except Embry but he can just turn away." He said to me with a smile and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Then much to my surprise I watched Embry leap from his chair tackling Jared to the floor, on the other side of Embry Jake sat with his hands gripping the table and his face scrunched into a snarl as if Embry had waited one second he would have been the one tackling Jared.
"Don't ever say something like that- to or about my sister again." He said in a voice that would be classified as more of a growl. Jared struggled under his grip for a minute then finally gave up. "Okay dude sorry, I was just messing." He told him slightly pushing Embry off him. After a few seconds Embry stood up but kept a threatening position and an angry look on his face while he sat back down.
Leah walked over towards me and kind of quietly said, "I'd suggest shorts and a tank-top, and an extra pair of everything to put on after." She said with a slight smile obviously noticing the tension in the room.
For a moment I didn't move and I didn't say anything but the fact of what they had told me to wear dawned on me. Shorts and a tank-top, full view of all my bodies imperfections. I realized that earlier they had seen it for a few slight minutes but it was still then partially covered with makeup and plus I was laying down.
But now it would all be in the open and for God knows how long I would have to be like that, I stared at the ground refusing to look at any of them. "But my..." I started but I was unable to finish, I wasn't sure what to say or how to continue.
I heard footsteps come towards me and then there was a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry Kota- no matter how many scars you have- we'll still think your beautiful." I heard Jacob's soft and caring voice say to me, and once I finally looked up I saw everyone was kind of awkwardly smiling at me, but in a way that I knew they were saying they agreed with Jacob.
I smiled back, "Do you want to see them all then?" I asked kind of awkwardly but I decided that if I could show anyone it would be these people who had become my family in such a short time. "Hey it's like Jake said," Quil began. "You'll still be beautiful." and then I completely felt comfortable.
I laughed a little and then excited the kitchen to change and remove my makeup. I found some black shorts and a white tank-top and changed into them, and then grabbed an orange tank-top and purple shorts along with undergarments for after, and then I went into the bathroom.
I grabbed a washcloth from the cupboard and then stared at myself in the mirror. First I brushed my teeth and then my hair- and then put it up into a ponytail. There was makeup still covering my face- it was coated on like always but I still knew exactly where each scar, cut and bruise was on my once almost perfect face, it was almost as if a sickly burning still remained in their place- even ones that had already healed.
I turned the water on hot and then put my washcloth underneath it until it was soaked. I began to clean my face till there was not a spec of makeup left on it. The bruise around my eye still showed but it was now faded to an almost gray color but the one on my jaw had almost a green tint to it.
The rest of my face was an array of marks and scratches but the worst was one that ran from the top of my forehead down to the corner of my right eye, to look at it had almost made me want to cry. I knew how each one of these marks had happened.
That one for example was from my face being slammed into the corner of a doorway. I then looked down at my chest area that was shown above the tank-top. My collar bone was still very bruised but no cuts were on it.
I washed the makeup off of my arms but refused to even look at them, I already knew there was barely one spot that didn't have a cut or a bruise of some kind and that my legs were the same so before I could upset myself about it even more I simply just walked out of there and made my way to the kitchen.
No one stared they barely even looked they just continued on like I looked completely normal, and it was something I could even explain to them how much I appreciated it. "Well let's get out there," Sam said before leaning in to kiss Emily and then heading out the door in front of us.
As we followed Jake slipped his arm around my waist, and whispered. "I told you we'd still think you were beautiful." I smiled at him before pushing him away from me and sticking my tongue out. He laughed at my childish but still stuck his tongue back out at me playing along.
We had been outside for hours, they kept changing and running into the woods and changing back then trying to explain to me what to do. I must have looked like an idiot. They kept explaining how to jump and how to like move your body- what to think and how to breathe and I just couldn't do it.
Almost every time I ended up on the ground, because jumping in the air and bending expecting to come down as an animal who will land on their feet- doesn't work out when your don't change and end on your hands and knees. I wanted to stop- but Sam said we had to keep trying, and that I would "get it eventually", so we kept going till finally about four hours later when my hands and knees began to bleed and he said that was enough for today.
When those words had come out of his mouth I couldn't even help myself. "THANK GOD!" I screamed out before falling on my back in the grass and curling up into a ball and just laying there. Jacob laughed slightly and I heard him walk towards me.
"Come on Kota let's go inside." He said to me trying to grab my hand to pull me up.
"No!" I said in quite a childish voice and pulled my arms away from his reach. "Carry me." He laughed at me, but reach down anyways and picked me up bridal style and carried me into the house.
I had never realized how toned his body was, I mean obviously- I'd seen it, but feeling it was completely different and the warmth that radiated off of his was incredible. Hearing his heartbeat was comforting and without meaning too, I'd fallen asleep before we even made it inside