Quil and Claire, Chapter 13
QUIL
The leech had still been running in circles. Endless circles. It was clear that he believed we wouldn't be able to chase him down, that it was entertaining for him to play this game.
Every single time we had been able to cut him off before he got behind us and started back to La Push. Every single time he had turned around, started another circle, and we followed. Every single time.
Until we slipped up.
We were in the cutting-him-off part of the cycle again, and we were preparing for a different approach. Ambush.
So close. My teeth were this close to sinking into his stone-like flesh, tearing away an arm, part of his chest, maybe even his head, but I hesitated.
I fucking hesitated.
The others would say it wasn't my fault, that the plan was flawed. We'd chased him towards the ambush, which was only one wolf. We'd reasoned then that if more than one wolf was missing, we wouldn't have the element of surprise, and he'd be expecting the ambush.
Of course, we'd underestimated his ability to escape the head-on attack of a single wolf. When we chased him straight into Embry's path, he simply braced himself, ducked to the side, and used his left arm to hurl Embry into a tree.
Seth had winced, reliving painful memories of the same thing happening to him so many years ago; fighting Riley and Victoria in a clearing back when Claire was still just a baby.
The vampire had hesitated to throw Embry into the tree. Hesitated just enough for me to get close enough to him to rip him apart. Close enough that his shirt had touched my front teeth.
And then Embry hit the tree, howling in pain, his thoughts flashing red, and I stopped, turning my head towards him, my own mind feeling just how badly he was hurt.
And then he was gone. Running back towards the reservation, except this time we weren't a step ahead of him. We were chasing from behind. I howled in frustration when I realized I had missed my chance, and bolted ahead once again after the creature.
GO! Embry yelled to our minds. I'll heal- I'll call ahead to warn them. Just GO.
CLAIRE
Three days I had been without Quil. I felt like I should have a piece of chalk and tally it off in his bedroom wall like a prisoner. Only instead of being stuck inside three walls and a set of bars, I was stuck inside a reality without Quil.
Come to think about it, prison wouldn't be so bad, as long as Quil was there. I bet we could find plenty of things to do all alone in a jail cell. You know, so long as there was nobody else there.
I was contemplating this as I peeled the label off of my water bottle and spun the cap on the top of the cafeteria table.
"Are you sure you don't want something to eat, Claire?", somebody asked me. It was a daily question since Quil had left, and I'd come to expect it. Maybe it was the same person who asked it every day, maybe it wasn't. I didn't notice.
Even Emily's voice was starting to blur into the background, and I knew I wouldn't be able to really focus on anybody's again until I could hear Quil's.
Regardless, I answered the same way every day. "I'm fine. Big breakfast."
I didn't have to look up to know that the girls I had been friends with since I was four years old were looking at each other with their eyebrows pulled together, biting their lips and debating whether or not to say anything else.
Apparently ten days of acting like a crazy person was enough to warrant an intervention by one's closest friends.
"Claire, you need to eat," one of them said quietly. "I mean, we know Quil's been away for a little while, and he's your best friend, but he'd want you to take care of yourself."
The spark of anger that was in my chest at her mention of Quil burned brighter and I snapped my head up.
"Quil is not my best friend. He is so much more. None of you know what Quil would want."
They looked even more concerned now, but I was quite literally saved by the bell when it rang for third period. Math. It used to feel like math was an obstacle, just something to get through before I could see Quil again. Now, the challenge was a welcome distraction from the emptiness in my heart and the too-fullness of my head.
Sighing, I sat down in my regular seat on the side of the classroom closest to the door (obviously) and pulled out my math text-oh, shit. Why does this always happen to me?
I glared at the philosophy textbook in front of me, mocking me wordlessly. Why did the spines of my textbooks have to look so fucking similar? I growled, pushing the book back into my bag, and made to stand up- just as a math textbook that was most definitely not my own dropped down with a thud on the top of my desk.
I looked up incredulously at the book-dropper and met an unfamiliar face. A cute face, but an unfamiliar one nonetheless.
"Um…Excuse me? Did you drop this?" I asked dumbly. What else was I supposed to say?
"Obviously," He said, rolling his eyes before slumping down in the chair next to mine and facing forwards.
"Okay…don't you need one?" I was a little concerned for the mental well being of this stranger. I was one more textbook assault away from demanding to see his Student ID.
He snorted, still keeping his gaze locked on the front of the classroom. "I transferred last week. From a private school. I've looked through that textbook- there's really nothing in there challenging enough for me to use it as a reference."
I was slightly put off by the over confidence, but was definitely not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Thank you?" I said tentatively, stealing another glance at the plain black knapsack thrown carelessly to the ground beside him.
"It's cool," he mumbled, his eyes starting to drift shut.
Wow. We hadn't even started the lesson yet, and he had already been bored to sleep. I was beginning to be a little impressed. Private school, huh? A gift from the universe that had taken Quil away from me, in the form of a math tutor. The universe really sucked sometimes.
I took my first glance at the clock, still ticking slowly down to the ringing of the second bell, when the beautiful distraction of trigonometry would commence. So concentrated on watching the second hand make its way around, I jumped when my cellphone rang in my bag- the extra-loud ringtone I had set for Emily and Quil alone. I snatched it desperately out of my bag, probably looking like a total psycho, and my heart fell when I saw the caller ID flashing on the screen. Emily.
"Hello?" I said, my voice tight, as I gathered my things and shoved them back in my bag. No matter what kind of news this was, I couldn't hear it around other people. They already thought I was crazy. I pushed the textbook back onto its owner's desk and speed walked out of the class. Fresh air. I needed fresh air. I pushed past the second floor doors and into the small courtyard off of the cafeteria, trying my best to hold it together.
"Claire, there's news." Emily's voice was worried and upset in my ear, and my heart started pounding as I stopped and slid down to sit against the brick wall.
"What is it?" I whispered. "Tell me, please."
"Embry was hurt and-"
"Quil? Was Quil hurt?" My eyes were wide, and I was holding my breath waiting for the answer.
"No, Quil's fine but-"
"Quil's okay? He's alright?" I confirmed, my heart pounding.
"Yes, and they're coming back here but Claire-"
I hung up and threw my phone into my backpack, bolting for the car. They were heading back! They were coming back. They were coming back to me. Quil was coming back to me.
I mashed the button to unlock Quil's car and jumped into the driver's seat, pulling out of the school parking lot faster than was probably legal. I would meet him at home- If she called when they were heading back, he was probably already there. I pushed the gas pedal towards the floor at the thought of Quil waiting for me at home.
He would feel it when I was close to him- we would find each other and he would tell me they'd taken care of the vampire and he would hold me and kiss me and everything would be alright. Everything.
So I know this is kind of weird, and I'm coming back to this story after over a year of hiatus, but I thought it was worth coming back to. It was a reviewer that reminded me about how i hadn't finished it yet, and if that doesn't tell you guys why i love reviews so much then I don't know what will! Tell me what you think everyone!