Hello again! I am a very, very slow writer... sorry about that. Things are gonna start to happening in this chapter, and there'll be much of the same in the next too. Hope you guys like it :)
''What do you think of chicken?'' I asked Gran over my shoulder. ''Is that alright?''
I was trying to plan what to eat for dinner the coming days, but Gran made it quite difficult due to her lack of attention. She was on the phone speaking to someone, and had been for several hours.
''Oh, don't mind me,'' I muttered to myself feeling extremely annoyed. ''I'll just… do this by my self.
I put the pencil down on the table in the living room and grabbed the list that I'd written. It would have to do. If Gran wanted to eat something else she'd have to fix it herself.
I wished that I could call Jacob, but Gran was occupying the phone and the few times I actually got to call him he wouldn't answer. I guess he was ignoring me like everyone else was – including Paul. I hadn't heard from him in quite a while, even thought he said we would meet again soon.
I looked out the window. It was pretty okay weather outside. Maybe I should go for a walk?
Ten minutes later I was out in the forest with Hubble, walking my usual route towards the beach. It was dead quiet; I couldn't hear a single bird. Hubble was quiet, too. It wasn't like him. That's strange… it was like the whole forest was holding its breath, waiting.
Suddenly I decided to do something different, that I never had done before. I didn't continue down the path to the beach, instead I made a right turn and left the path. I don't really know why I did it, it was just like as if I was drawn to something. I paid no attention to where I was going, my feet walked by themselves.
I thought of Paul again. Since I didn't have his number I couldn't call him. And I didn't know where he lived. I guess I'd just have to wait for him to contact me.
I started humming. It was a tune that often had got stuck on my mind. I remember my mother singing it to me when I was little, but I didn't know the name of it.
Hubble followed me slowly; I didn't keep a very high pace. I closed my eyes for a second and just enjoyed the quietness around me.
Then a branch broke in half. I froze, looked around – and saw nothing. Nothing but trees and rocks and green. I could have sworn that something big had broken that branch.
Crack.
I jumped slightly and looked around again. There was something out there, I knew it. Hubble had sensed it too. His nose was high in the air, sniffing. I kneeled next to him.
''What is it boy?'' I whispered and swept my eyes over the trees yet again.
Hubble was still quiet. He kept his eyes on a spot somewhere behind me and didn't blink. I immediately understood – there was something there. I turned around very slowly…
Then I saw it. It was like something I'd never seen before in my life. It was huge, not like the usual ones I had seen on TV. It had grey fur, like silver almost, and huge, dark eyes. They seemed familiar… but how could they?
It didn't move. It was obvious that it'd seen me. Those dark eyes stared at me intensely. It felt like I stared back into them forever when the giant wolf suddenly turned and ran off.
I stood there for a minute or two, completely paralyzed – millions of different thoughts running trough my mind. Had I gone mad? And why did it feel like I'd seen those eyes before?
I was out for a while, and when I got home it had started to become dark. Both Hubble and I were very tired, we almost dragged ourselves.
The lights were on in the house when we got there. I let Hubble go to his doghouse and attached the chain to his collar.
''See you tomorrow,'' I whispered into his ear and patted his head. Then I started to walk towards the front door. When I reached the porch I heard something inside, so I stopped. It seemed like Gran was talking to someone. I sneaked up to one of the windows and tried to listen.
''She saw me, Gladys. What should I have done?''
''First of all, you shouldn't have been there at all! You know how frustrated she's been about all of this – us keeping everything from her.''
Were they talking about me?
''I know.''
''And I know about the imprinting, Paul.''
Paul? Why was he in there? I felt almost a sting of hurt when I thought about him coming over, but not seeing me. Silly me… And what's imprinting? Some sort of strange disease?
''I should've known…''
''I don't want her to get all caught up in this mess, but since she's the target I think she deserves to know. But I think you'll have to tell her.''
''She won't believe me. She's way too logical for that. She doesn't believe in any things like these.''
''But she's understanding, Paul. And to be honest, I think she would take it harder if I were to talk to her.''
''Fine. I'll talk to her, someday. But this is going to ruin much.''
In the next second the front door opened and Paul stepped out. I quickly pressed myself against the wall and held my breath, hoping that he'd not see me or hear me.
Luckily he didn't. He disappeared in the woods and I let out a sigh before I got inside.
Pauls POV
I knew she thought that I hadn't seen her. I guess letting her think that would make her feel a whole lot better, so I decided not to say a word about it.
She probably wouldn't want to see me more, because I didn't visit her or anything. I wished that I could, but Sam made me take even more shifts than usual. It was almost like he didn't want me to see her, but I knew better than to think that of Sam. He had been very understanding when it came to the guys imprinting, so why would I be a different case? And besides, I knew that we had a leech on our territory.
How would she take everything after I'd told her? From what I heard from the other guys that had imprinted the girls were scared as hell to begin with, but then they somehow changed their minds and gladly accepted everything.
Would Allie be as understanding as Gladys said? What if she'd see me as a monster and never want to talk to me again… ever? I couldn't bear the thought. She was my everything, she just… she just didn't know it.
I hurried further into the woods before I shifted and began to run. I had practised putting up a wall in my mind, trying to focus on anything but the thoughts about Allie. So far it'd worked.
Allies POV
I didn't see Paul the following days, and Gran wouldn't even let me go to see Jacob. Something was very wrong. It was like I could feel the tension in the air everywhere I went. I had tried to call Jacob every time Gran left the phone, but he still wouldn't answer.
Gran did at least drive me to Port Angeles so that I could buy a decent jacket, but otherwise I wasn't allowed to leave the house except for when I had to walk Hubble. And when I walked with him we had to stay near the house so that Gran could see us all the time.
It drove me crazy, not knowing anything. I was being left out, and it didn't feel good. Gran spent most – okay, pretty much all – of her time by the phone.
One day it was terrible weather outside. The wind was blowing and rain was pouring. I was sitting in the living room reading a book and Gran was sitting by the phone with a cup of tea, talking.
It was pretty cold inside, so I had wrapped myself in a blanket and put a pair of extra socks on my feet. It was almost completely quiet, all that was heard was the raind and Grans muffled voice from the hall.
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. I winced and almost dropped my book on the floor. Who would go outside in this weather?
It appeared that Gran hadn't heard the knock, because I could still hear her voice from the hall. I sighed and put my book down to go open the door. I sauntered out to open and walked past Gran who immedietaly stopped talking when she saw me. She was probably talking secrets again…
''I'm just gonna' open the door,'' I told her and rolled my eyes at her expression. It wasn't that big of a deal, was it?
She looked like she was going to object, but I had already made it to the door and opened.
Outside stood Jacob. He was soaking wet from walking, only from his car, in the rain.
He smiled at me, raising his hand.
''Hey.''
''Hi Jacob,'' I greeted him coldly. ''What are you doing here? Why haven't you answered any of my calls?'' The extremely few ones Gran had let me call.
He must've heard the frustration in my voice, because he got a guilty look on his face.
''Yeah, about that… My, um, phone isn't working.''
That's the worst excuse I've ever heard! I thought angrily. I was getting tired of this. But I stayed silent.
''Maybe you should fix it then?'' I suggested, trying to hide the coldness in my voice – but I knew that he heard it anyways.
''Can I…um, come in?'' he asked hopefully.
I sighed. ''Sure.''
Jacob looked around, looking like he'd never seen anything like the place.
''What is it?'' I said and gave him a weird look.
His eyes darted across the hall and then quickly turned to me.
''I just haven't been in this house for a very long time. I've seen the outside of it, but...''
''Please don't go all nostalgic on me.''
He ignored my comment. ''Do you mind if I take a look around?''
I shrugged. ''Not really.''
As Jacob took his tour of the house I walked back to the living room and began to read again. I would have had it perfectly fine if there hadn't been yet another knock on the door. This time Gran wouldn't open either, and I almost slammed my book on the couch as I rose and walked out of the room angrily, to open. Why did people keep on coming knocking – disturbing – like this?
And of course Gran couldn't open because she was talking with someone on the phone. She wouldn't just tell the person to hang on for a minute or two and take those few steps to the door, no. I had to. Again.
I guess that being left out of everything, Jacob not calling me and to not have seen Paul in a while had made me quite upset in a way. I just couldn't help it.
Anyways, I walked past Gran yet again, who stopped talking, and opened the door.
I screamed.
What do you think is outside the door? :)
