Author's Note: I really like this chapter for certain reasons. ;) Anyways, this chapter is longer than most of them :D Enjoy the story! Since I want it to be a great ending of the chapter, I'll just add my bottom A/N here: Review please! :D
Thanks for 'Guest' who gave me a lot of helpful CC!
Disclaimer: All rights go to SM. I'm just borrowing her amazing characters.
Jane's POV
I walked along the dirt trail with Bella, not saying a word. My head held high, my feet barely even hit the ground. The evident sound of leaves crunching was there though because I couldn't help it if my sneaker-covered foot hit one once in awhile. Soon, we were walking at the edge of the highway, making small talk. Bella would speak about her daughter and how fast she was growing and how there was no drama anywhere; apparently a vampire named Kate and a nomad Garret got married recently as well. I heard laughter float over to us from the other side of the highway, but it didn't sound like the recognizable werewolf laughter, being loud or obnoxious or the familiarity of the beautiful bell-sounding vampire laugh either. I looked up quickly, eyes darting everywhere while my body instinctively tensed. The laughter was dullish and boring but still had the familiarity of two male adolescents. It wasn't perfect or rough and annoying either. The smell of human came over me, and I tried not to be bothered by it. I fed recently. Bella just laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head. Her once straight and composed posture turned all slouched and soon, her shoes started to drag in the road, making a weird and ear-splitting noise (for a vampire, at least).
"What are you doing?" I glared at her, annoyance pricking at me. Bella looked rather stupid, and I have to admit I was ashamed to even be walking by her. Bella gave me a pointed look then whispered in a low voice so only I could hear.
"Acting human. No human walks perfectly straight and tall without making a sound," she explained quickly then jabbed me in the stomach so I hunched over in a coughing fit. I was about to ask her what that was for, but then I realized she wanted me to act human as well. I shot another glance at the humans' direction. They were walking awfully slowly and we were going to pass them, so might as well.
My human memories were dull and vague but I figured I could catch on easily. I followed Bella's lead and slumped my shoulders just a tad then let my feet drag slightly, creating a smaller version of the terrible noise she made with her own shoes. She was lifting her shoulders up and down slowly like she was breathing and was blinking at least three times a minute. I tried to do the same, repeating in my mind: blink, breathe, slouch, drag… blink, breathe, slouch, drag… the two of us walked on, and Bella leaned closer to me, like she was having such a deep conversation with me. "Cross the street!" Bella whispered urgently to me, and we speed-walked across the highway. It was very early in the morning on a Saturday so there were no cars around, but as we crossed the street, I caught the two following us out of my peripheral vision. Bella hurriedly dug through her purse that was slung on one shoulder and hurriedly put on some sunglasses and walked quicker. I tried to follow her lead, not wanting to associate with humans, but we were cornered by them in the middle of the highway.
The males were tall, standing around six feet tall with broad shoulders and were "good-looking" if that's what you wanted to call them. One had sandy blonde hair that fell down his forehead with green eyes while the other was somewhat shorter but more slender with brown hair and brown eyes. I sighed, trying not to breathe towards them and inhale the fresh blood that was right in front of my face. I clenched my hands into fists and set my jaw, trying not to lunge for one and give into my temptation to drink from them and rip their throats out. Bella sensed my uneasiness and tried to maneuver around them at human speed, but they blocked her retreat.
I could see Bella's gold eyes flash angrily at them from underneath her sunglasses, and if my heart was beating, mine would've stopped at that moment. That's what she had sunglasses on. Our eyes. On instinct, I looked down and let out a little sigh of relief that my hair became a curtain and shielded my face from them. I suddenly felt so short because they were tall, and for once, I felt intimidated. I was living like a Cullen. They had to associate with humans and act like humans and be like humans. My hatred towards the Cullen family grew, and a frown crossed my face as I thought of it.
"Excuse but we really must get going," Bella grabbed my hand and tried to pull me along, but we stopped abruptly when I saw one boy guard our escape, grinning rather impishly at us.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… not so fast!" one said, his voice a little high for his age.
"Yeah… what are two pretty girls such as yourselves doing out here all alone?" the other chortled in, his eyes looking at every inch of both me and Bella. I didn't even need to look at him to know that he was doing that. I looked up at them but made sure my eyes wavered around. Bella met their eyes calmly.
"Please let us pass," Bella replied again, trying to be polite about it but I sensed she wanted to kill them. I smirked in satisfaction.
"Where are you two off to?" the one with the high voice asked. I glared up at them, my eyes narrowing into slits of pure anger and annoyance.
"Off to deliver food to our sick grandmother," I snarled sarcastically at them and grabbed Bella's hand and tried to escape again, but they blocked us… again… I knew we could probably take them down in a matter of seconds, but trying to "be human" and "blend in" would be completely violated. They chortled to themselves.
"Really? Here that Austin?" the one with the high pitched voice and brown hair asked. I reverted my eyes to the sandy blonde who licked his lips at Bella and nodded.
"I heard her, Dusty," he said, "Quite a feisty one for her height." He was looking at me now. I was about to protest, but Bella cut in.
"Come on, guys. Cut us some slack. Our Grandma's sick," Bella played along with me, but her voice had aggravation written all over it. Her hands balled into fists, and she looked like she wanted to punch both of them.
"Whoa, check out her eyes!" Austin's eyes grew into round saucers as he saw me, and I ducked my head deliberately, feeling myself tense. I wanted to get out of here away from these humans. "Can I have another peek?" Austin asked me, leaning down and whispering in my ear. I scooted back a bit, shaking my head and cowering slightly behind Bella.
"Go away." Wow I sounded desperate. Austin and "Dusty" (probably Dustin) advanced towards me even after Bella tried to make them go away.
"Hey guys, I was just here to come pick my girls up." I knew that happy voice anywhere. Behind them was Seth, who waved cutely at us from his side of the border. The boys glared at him before I tried to maneuver past them again.
"Hey, Seth!" Bella smiled at him and waved, giving him a look that read: HELP US. Seth nodded and jogged across the highway clad in nothing but a simple t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He towered over the two by a few inches, but he didn't look as intimidating as he could have. Making his way over to us, he gave Bella a hug then slung his arm around my shoulder. I tensed and glared at him, but one look at his happy smile made me relax and unclench my fists. The boys scoffed at Seth, glaring at him. Seth took no notice.
"Come on Bella! Your Grandma's waiting for you!" Seth, with his arm draped across my tiny shoulder, steered me around them and towards La Push with Bella right behind him.
"Not so fast," Austin replied, and as Seth looked over at him, Austin gave him a punch. A sickening crack ensured, but I knew it wasn't Seth. Austin broke his hand. Dustin joined in, and together, they began to try and beat Seth up. The younger boy looked at them in confusion then began to yell at them to try and stop. For some reason, a maternal instinct took over me, and I hated to see them try and beat Seth up. Before Bella could do anything, I went up to Austin and dragged him back roughly by his arm. I wanted to yank it out of his socket but knew the Cullens wouldn't approve. I hissed at him and shoved Austin away so hard, I heard him skid on the road. Approaching him, I was glaring at him and couldn't help the fact that my lip curled back in a snarl as I advanced.
"If you ever touch my boyfriend again I will personally see to your death," I hissed at the two, and I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face when they ran away screaming in the opposite direction. I looked at Seth who had a disbelieving look on his face along with a smile.
"Boyfriend?" he asked me cheekily, and I rolled my eyes, not even realizing I had called him that. I shook my head and made an excuse. I was glad I wasn't human or I'd be the one blushing. Bella laughed besides him and put her sunglasses in her purse so I could clearly see her amused face.
"Just for show, wolfie," I snapped. I would never admit to Seth that I actually liked how the word sounded as it flowed out of my mouth with ease. He didn't need to know that. I saw Bella staring at us, amusement on her face. At first, Seth looked a little put down, but then his face brightened once more.
"… Wolfie…?" he nearly squealed at me, his brown eyes big and round. A big smile was drawn on his boyish face, and Seth looked like he wanted to hug me. A glare in his direction prevented him from touching me. I rolled my eyes and couldn't help the small and brief smile that crossed my face.
"Whatever you say…" I sighed to him. This wasn't the plan: to grow close to Seth. I wouldn't. I couldn't. Then there would be more people with broken hearts because if I loved anyone it would only lead to misery…
OOO
Seth had eagerly invited us across the border, but Bella politely declined. Seth's face fell, but Bella just shoved me forward. "Jane will happily accompany you." She sent a wink in my direction, and I wanted to protest; just because I was a vampire and a wolf's imprint, the wolves and Cullens were allowing me to go across the border. I glared at Bella before looking at Seth; I couldn't decline. He resembled a child who had just woken up on Christmas morning to dozens and dozens of presents. Clenching my fists and walking besides the too happy Seth, I could hear Bella's jingling laughter float over to me as we disappeared into the trees.
Stupid Seth. We had the problem under control, I thought angrily, raising an eyebrow at the boy as he babbled about his patrol that he took this moment. Smugness was radiating off him, and I just rolled my eyes, walking next to him. We walked through the dense woods silently. The only sound was the soft sound of Seth's feet sloshing around the leaves and debris. It was amazing how much the Cullens got to trust me in a matter of weeks while truly I was plotting my escape. Edward probably knew about it already so that was a demolished plan now. All I had to do was wait for the Volturi to come and rescue me…
"So what do you want to do?" Seth asked. I saw Emily's house come into view, and the smell of hamburgers filled my nose as we drifted closer to the tiny dwelling. I heard whoops and even complaints come from another direction, and I whirled around to see Embry, Jake, Quil and Brady all come running towards us, tugging on a shirt. Their wet dog smell drifted closer to me, and I tried not to gag as they all stampeded towards us. I felt myself tense next to Seth, but he just gave my hand a comforting squeeze.
His hand was hot against mine, and at first I thought my hand would melt because of the heat; after awhile, I got used to it and begrudgingly let him hold my hand. Unlike his comrades, Seth didn't smell like wet dog so as I leaned towards him cautiously as Brady started to laugh hysterically like someone who was very, very high (or just on crack or cocaine). There was an impish grin drawn on each of their faces, and Jacob laughed.
"Well, well, well…" he leaned down so he was eye-level with me, and I instinctively backed up so I was a little bit behind Seth. Jacob raised an eyebrow at me and stared curiously at me, clicking his tongue in surprise. What was he so alarmed for? I glared at him from behind Seth and felt my courage increase just a bit; I knew I was forbidden to ever hurt anyone with my gift and hunt humans, so I was pretty much defenseless. I knew how to fight, but I wasn't the best.
"What do you want, dog?" I snarled at him, and Jacob stood back up to his full height before putting his hands up in surrender. He chuckled lightly under his breath before glancing back at us again. He leaned over to Quil and whispered in his ear so quickly and softly, I had to strain to catch it.
"They're totally involved," Jacob whispered to a snickering Quil who just winked at us and wolf-whistled while I began to protest. Why were these guys always getting the wrong idea?!
"Told you they did it!" Brady chorused in with them. He flipped his black hair out of his face. Unlike the rest of the Quileutes, Brady's hair was by far the longest. It came down just past his ears and was a little shaggy and fell into his eyes; the hairstyle made him seem like the youngest, so that's what I assumed. Even so, he towered a good foot taller than me (if that's even possible…) so I cowered next to Seth once more, hating myself for being so vulnerable. I felt Seth's warm, long arms encircle protectively around my shoulders as he drew me towards his chest and held me there.
"Seriously guys?" Seth complained, but his voice was light and airy. He didn't seem to mind their teasing at all. I tensed, but then, I heard something awfully familiar.
It was slow and repetitive with a lug, lug, lug, lug…. A heartbeat. Seth's heartbeat. My eyes widened in clear surprise, but I didn't turn and look at him. Seth's chest was pressed towards my back, and I could feel it beating. It was interesting to be around someone with a beating heart. Seth's heartbeat was slow and luring, as if it would make me fall asleep. I blinked once. This person could make me feel wanted and protected; I hadn't felt that way in a long time.
"Come on, admit it Jane," Quil was sniggering to himself but Brady had collapsed on the ground in a fit of laughter. "You have some feelings for Seth." He waggled his eyebrows at me then gestured to Seth with his head. I gulped. I… I mean, I liked Seth but probably not in the way he wanted me to. When I opened my mouth to reply, Seth cut in.
"Don't put her on the spot, Quil!" he snapped angrily at his friend. Quil just surrendered and backed up a bit. I tilted my head back so I could see Seth's face. Under the anger, there was hurt. Hurt because I hadn't said I liked him.
"Yeah, Quil. Jane will eventually warm up to us… well maybe just Seth. It'll take some time." I forgot Embry was even there. By then, Quil's hands were clenched at his sides, and he was looking down embarrassedly. I blinked away my surprise as I saw Embry standing there silently. His face was a little worn, but there was a light in his eye that I never noticed before. His hair swept towards his eyes like Brady's, but it wasn't as long so I could take in those brown irises perfectly. He turned away and walked towards Emily's house. Unlike the rest of the group here (besides Seth that is…), Embry wore a shirt. It was a longish sleeved one that went just past his elbows. I liked that about Embry; he had the decency to not look half-naked all the time.
"Well…" Jacob replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "What are you two up to?" Good question. What were we up to? Seth answered my wandering thoughts cheerfully. It seems like the comment I hadn't said before wasn't bothering him. Well, he did a good job covering it up if it did…
"Don't know," Seth chirped, shrugging his shoulders, "I was gonna let Jane decide." Brady and Quil just nodded, while Jacob contemplated the situation quietly to himself.
"Sure, sure," Jacob reached out to clap Seth's shoulder. The trio turned away and jogged away, but Jacob called back to us. "We'll be at Emily's if you need us!" I watched them until they disappeared from view and until the wet dog scent faded from me as well. My eyes flickered to a nearby tree and watched an ant make a trek up it very, very slowly. Its little legs scurried up the rough and distinctive bark, and I scoffed in return, feeling myself feel bad for the ant. It would take awhile for it to reach its destination.
"So…" Seth cleared his throat as he looked pointedly at me. I blinked once and nodded at him, showing him I was listening. "What do you want to do?" Seth asked me almost uncertainly. His voice was ringing with it, and the way he shifted his weight from foot to foot proved my point. I shrugged my shoulders lightly, feeling the gesture was awkward on me. Only humans shrugged their shoulders when they didn't know what to do. And werewolves…
Seth was waiting eagerly for my answer, but I just responded nonchalantly. "You choose, wolfie," I said lightly, putting my hands on my hips awaiting his response. Seth looked at me rather cautiously before replying.
"Well… if you say so…" Seth replied hesitantly, clearing his throat momentarily. I waited his answer keenly, clicking my tongue in my anxiousness. "Can we go to First Beach?" Seth asked me uncertainly, flinching back just a bit as if he was afraid I would say 'no' and kill him or something. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're the one leading the tour," I reminded him. Seth sent me a dazzling smile before jogging in the opposite direction. In a fraction of a second, I was by his side, and we continued to run farther and farther from Emily's house. The silence droned on. Seth cleared his throat noisily in a sad attempt to start a conversation. My eyes darted towards his, but once I looked at Seth, his brown eyes instantly dropped to the ground. Shoving his hands in his pant pockets, we began to walk towards the beach because it was no more than twenty yards away. The sunlight was streaming onto the waters, giving it such a beautiful color, and I inhaled sharply. I couldn't go out in the sun. Not yet, at least. I know Emily had seen me sparkle, but I personally hated it. Seth immediately ran out from the shelter of the trees and hurtled over the rocks and sprinted to the sand, kicking it in every direction. His laughter pierced the air, and a smile twitched at the corners of my lips at the sight of him.
"Come on, Jane!" he smiled at me, flagging me down with one of his hands. I immediately put my hood up and made sure my long sleeves covered my hands. A hesitant look crossed my face as I shook my head. A crestfallen look fell on Seth's face, and a small stab of anger shot through me for being such an insolent fool for even crushing his hopes.
"It's too sunny," I complained to him, my voice still and quiet. Seth basked in the sunlight as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, sighing in content. Then, he turned to look at me.
"C'mon!" he said again, jogging over to me. "No one will see you." Soon, he was standing in front of me; the only thing separating us was the woods. I was shielded by the trees while he wasn't. One of his hands was outstretched towards me, and I instantly flinched away, taking a step back. My eyes darted cautiously up to Seth's face which had a look of hurt on it. A hesitant smile came across his face, but it didn't meet his pained brown eyes. He lowered his voice to a soft whisper. A coo. "Don't worry… I'm not gonna hurt you," he said to me, withdrawing his hand just a bit. My breath hitched in my throat, and my mind whirled in confusion. What now? Was I supposed to take his hand? If I didn't, the Volturi wouldn't get him though because I didn't like him? But what if I did want to be a part of his life and then they would attack the wolves?! Seeing my disturbed face, it looked like Seth wanted to take my hand so badly, but I could tell he would leave that decision up to me. I looked up to see his face which was glowing from the sunlight. There was just something about him that made me feel at ease. Comforted. Protected. Loved. His boyish and jovial face reminded me of Jacob in some aspects, but he was his own character, no matter how much he resembled any of the wolves on the reservation.
Tentatively, my small hand outstretched ever so slightly towards Seth's hand; it was shaking with my nervousness, but Seth made a small rumble in the back of his throat, similar to what he had done the day Alec was exiled from this land. I heard Seth hold his breath in anticipation, and finally, my hand rested in his. Gently closing his hand around mine, Seth looked down at me in disbelief, surprise, joy and pretty much any other positive emotion there ever was. He gently began to lead me out of the haven of the shade ever so slowly, letting me know that it was my choice and I could turn back if I wanted to. But I wouldn't. Not now. As he led me out to the sand, I felt the sun pierce my back. My face was shielded from most of it due to my hood that I put up instantly when we arrived, and the two of us stood in the middle of the beach, one of Seth's hands containing mine. He didn't seem bothered by the icy feeling of my hand, and I wasn't bothered by his warm touch either. There was a goofy smile on his face as his other hand tentatively moved to my hood, silently asking permission to take it off.
I thought it was pretty cool that Seth and I had that unique communication. Sometimes we didn't even need to use words. All it took was a facial expression, hand gestures and looking at the other with such emotion in the eyes, it hurt. I nodded once at him, biting down on my lip anxiously. His hand started to touch the hood, and I inhaled sharply as he began to take it off.
Seth's POV
I was nervous beyond belief. I was nervous as he—. I'm gonna say it. I was nervous as hell. Ouch. Yeah, I went there. But that was how nervous I was. I couldn't really believe Jane actually agreed to come out onto the beach with me, let alone take a tour of the rez with me, but I was still happy. My heart was pounding ten to a dozen, and I knew Jane could hear it and sense my anxiousness, but her face betrayed nothing. It was a cool mask, only contorting into confusion or anger or nervousness every once in awhile. My hand was shaking as I reached for Jane's hood. I knew she wouldn't twist my hand or anything because she seemed calm enough, and my other hand which held hers was protectively enclosed around it. My hand tugged on her hood and carefully pulled it off. I gasped subconsciously at the sight before me.
I had seen Edward and Bella glitter thousands of times before, but Jane was so different. It seemed more beautiful and precious. Her whole face sparkled like millions of diamonds, and her gold eyes met mine steadily. Releasing my hand slowly, she unzipped her jacket and let it fall to the sand so she only had the blue cardigan on that Bella had picked out for her. I looked at her in surprise, and then, slowly, I moved towards her. Her whole body seemed to glitter now, and I gently touched her fragile-looking shoulder with my hand; my hand ran down her shoulder all the way down to her wrist. I moved closer to her so close our chests were almost touching. I guess since she was so much shorter than me, I guess since her head was almost touching my shoulder. With my free hand, I slowly cupped her cheek with my hand and rubbed her cheek with my thumb. My breath hitched in my throat at her beauty. As I looked at Jane's face, she almost looked bashful or even shy.
"So beautiful," I whispered to myself, but Jane heard me. Her gold eyes widened in surprise, and I gasped again when I saw a smile cross her face. She looked embarrassed as she smiled at me, and slowly, Jane's cold hand went to the back of my neck while the other clutched my free hand which was at my side. She gently tugged at my neck so I bent down a little, and standing on her tiptoes, her icy lips gave mine a feathery kiss. Light and airy. Hesitantly, my hand that cupped her cheek gently held her tiny waist, and I kissed her back. I started to feel dizzy, and I felt Jane smile against my lips. She pulled back reluctantly. Her face was surprised and mine was too. This was what I've been waiting for such a long time now.
"So does this mean you like me?" I asked her, trying not to sound so overly eager. With a roll of her eyes, Jane just smiled briefly at me, her cold façade gone for awhile. I could picture her eyes being a brilliant blue color if she was human, and the way her eyes twinkled at me made me smile. Her soprano voice rang into my head as she laughed, her girly voice piercing the air.
"Oh shut up, wolfie. Don't get your hopes up." Too late. I already thought we were going to be together forever.
