How many of you are shocked to see this? : o
I know I am.
I suddenly just sat down and started writing this and tried to hurry to get it done.
So, yeah, it's short, and could be better, but TRUST me.
The next chapter when I get back is going to be long and amazing and well worth the wait.
I know it seems so far away, but I'll be back before you know it.
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I woke up early Monday morning to a loud meowing in my ear. I groaned, opening an eye to look at my new kitten groggily.
"What do you want, kitty?" I muttered, and he meowed some more. I turned over and stared intently at his food dish. My eyes were still blurry so I had to blink a few times to see it clearly. Everything looked fine, except the empty milk bowl. "Aha," I said through a yawn and rolled out of bed. I shuffled over to the bowl, grabbed it, and headed downstairs. He didn't seem to have any need to follow me now, since he knew what I was doing, and waited patiently on my bed. I made my way to the kitchen and slowly re-filled his bowl. I was too tired to move at normal pace. The kitten seemed to notice my slowness, since he was waiting for me at the top of the stairs.
"You know, the stairs aren't that hard to climb," I whispered to him, setting the bowl down on my floor when I got there. I looked over at my clock, seeing I still had a good half hour left before I should be waking up and decided to take a nice, long warm shower. Well, it wouldn't be too long, but long enough. I grabbed some clothes from my closet and headed for the bathroom. I stripped down and turned the water on. I yawned loudly and leaned against the wall, waiting for the water to warm up. I wonder how many jokes there would be about the stuff from the movie today. I laughed a little, and stuck my hand in the water. It felt warm enough, so I stepped into the tub, closed the curtain, and pulled up on the thing on the faucet. I stood there under the warm stream, letting it slowly soak me and wake my body up.
I didn't entirely feel like going to school today, but I would anyways. I didn't want anyone else thinking I was sick some more. I'd come off as a sissy. Once I was awake enough, I went through my shower routine thoroughly, making sure to cover everything. I didn't have a specific reason other than I wanted to. When I was finally done, I got out and toweled off. I should put a clock in the bathroom, I thought as I looked around, wondering what time it was. I got dressed quickly, brushed and put up my hair, and then headed for my room. I grabbed my wallet, keys, and cellphone, that told me I should leave in about 5 minutes. I hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. I needed something quick to eat. I looked around and noticed a plate of what looked like blueberry muffins. Someone must have brought them over yesterday. I grabbed one and took a bite out of it, heading to the front door now. They were actually really good. I slipped my shoes on, slid on my freshly washed coat, and headed out to my car.
I got in and sat there for a moment, finishing off the amazing muffin I was eating. When I was done I wiped off the crumbs, and started the car. I turned up the radio and started for school, singing along with the song. I turned my wiper blades on as it started to rain. I was glad I got some of yesterday's sunlight when I did. I pulled into the parking lot, and took my normal spot. It wasn't hard to keep the same spot since I got here before most of the other kids did. I got out, shoved my keys in my coat pocket, and headed for my locker.
"Hey, Amber," I heard someone say, and turned to see Luke walking up next to me.
"Hey, Luke," I replied with a smile.
"How was the rest of your weekend?" he asked as we approached my locker.
"It was fairly decent," I said, putting in my combination. "How about yours?" I asked, looking up at him as I opened my locker door.
"Mine was pretty good," he said, leaning on the locker next to me.
"That's good," I said, pulling out the books I needed.
"Hey, Amber? Can I ask you something?" he asked, and I noticed he was fidgeting a little.
"Sure," I said, closing my locker door now.
"You know the dance this Friday?" he asked, looking at me intently.
"Mhm?" I asked and started for class.
"Well, I was wondering if you'd go with me?" he asked, following me.
"Oh," I said, looking up at him with a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Luke. I don't go with people to dances unless it's required."
"Oh," he said, his face dropping.
"I'll save you a dance though?" I offered.
"Alright," he said, looking considerably happier. "I'll see you around," he said, walking off to his class.
"Bye," I called after him, then kept on to English. The day went by slowly, and was so boring I thought I would go insane. The only interesting part of the day was Gym and when Becky tried to scare me. I had all my homework done, and half of the newly assigned project for History done. In Gym, Brandon heard about how I rejected Luke and asked me to save him a dance too. I even decided to go ahead in my reading for English and managed to get two more chapters down since we had a free day in Photography. I was expecting more excitement when I got home, but I was wrong. I had managed to check my emails and tidy up my room before I was bored again. I was pacing back and forth and nearly jumped out of my skin when Tammy knocked on my open door.
"You have a phone call," she said with a grin.
"You scared the crap out of me," I said with a laugh, walking over to her to take the phone. "Hello?" I asked after I brought it up to my ear.
"Hey, Amber," Jake's voice answered.
"Oh, hey Jake! What's up?" I asked, strolling over to my computer chair and plopped down. I suppressed a giggle and reached down to pick up the kitten who was attacking my feet mercilessly.
"Did you see any new leeches in school today?" he asked, and I noticed the edge in his voice. I frowned and thought back. There would have been a estrogen uproar if there had been. Or a testosterone one..
"No," I said.
"Damnit."
"Why? Did Adrian..?"
"Yeah," Jake said, and I heard the sadness in his voice.
"Oh, Jake. I'm sorry. I wish I could help," I told him, frowning.
"I know. We all wish we knew more. Adrian wasn't the only one who changed," he said softly.
"I'll keep a look out, okay? If anything changes or one does appear, I'll let you know right away," I promised.
"I'd really appreciate it," he said. "How's everything been for you?"
"Decent, I guess. Carlisle found out about me," I said warily. There was a long silence on the other line.
"How?" he asked finally.
"My medical records finally came in from Los Angeles," I said.
"I hadn't even thought about that. Does that mean the other one knows?"
"Not that I can tell, yet. Carlisle said he wouldn't tell him, and that it was my business," I said, leaning back in my chair.
"He's got that right, but what about that mind thing he does?"
"All Carlisle has to do is not think about it around Edward," I said, making the chair swivel a little. I enjoyed talking to Jacob. I know this wasn't the normal stuff that people talked about, but I didn't care. I still looked at him like a Dad and I'd gladly share almost anything with him.
"Oh. I guess that makes sense," he said, and I could picture him nodding. "Those bloodsuckers are so damn tricky."
"Dad?" I heard Adrian say in the background.
"One second," Jake replied. "Sorry, Amber. I have to go. The pack is having a meeting tonight," he told me.
"Oh, alright. I hope things go well," I told him.
"Yeah. Keep an eye out for me, okay?"
"Of course I will," I said, stopping my chair.
"Thank you, Amber. Bye," he said, sincerely.
"Anytime. Bye," I replied, then hung up once I heard the click on his end. What was going on? Maybe my dreams and everything hadn't been just dreams after all, but if a bad vampire was around they would have been taken care of by someone by now. But, if there was a new Cullen, then they would have been in school today, right? "This makes no sense," I said to the kitten in my lap, who was currently attacking the hem of my shirt.
"Amber! Dinner," Tammy called from downstairs.
"Okay," I called back and then sat the kitten back down on the floor. "I'll be back," I told him as I left. Dinner, I discovered when I walked into the kitchen, was cheeseburgers and fries. As I made my food, Tammy and I caught up a little on school, recent events, and such. I discovered that she had made good friends with the La Push werewolf women, and some who weren't and that's who she had been spending her time with. I was glad to hear that she had people to spend time with while I wasn't around and that part of her purpose for moving here had been fulfilled. Once we were done, I offered to do dishes and Tammy gladly let me. I heard her turn on the news, and that's just what I had been hoping for. I washed the dishes slowly, listening closely for anything about a weird death due to blood loss or weird "animal" attacks. I was disappointed when I heard there weren't any. I sighed once I was finished and headed back to my room. Killer, which was the name I had decided on, was waiting in my doorway, meowing at me.
"Aww, did you miss me?" I asked, reaching down to pick him up. He nuzzled at my hands and I walked over to my bed. I set him down, despite his protesting, and changed into my pajamas. The clock read about 7:45, and I wasn't too sleepy yet. I walked over to my bookcase and scanned the titles for something to read. I debated between a few, but in the end I chose Dance with the Devil, by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Granted, I had read this book before, but I felt like reading about my favorite Dark-Hunter, Zarek, again. I grabbed it and went over to my bed, plopping down carefully so that I didn't squish the kitten. I opened the book and before I knew it, I was lost in it's pages.
I noticed I was halfway through the book and my eyes were fighting to stay focused. I didn't want to stop reading yet. A loud yawn escaped me and I glanced over at the clock. I groaned, seeing that it was around 11:30. I was definitely ready for bed now. I marked my page and then set it down on my stand. I got up, turned off my light, and then crawled back into bed. It wasn't long until I slipped into a deep sleep.
"I told you I'd find you," a voice whispered into my ear.
"Go away," I pleaded. He only laughed and I felt his cool lips on my neck.
My eyes snapped open as a loud boom sounded outside. I wasn't sure what woke me up, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know what else happened in that dream. That one wasn't scary as much as it was slightly confusing and frustrating. Nobody had 'found' me. I sat up and pushed my curtain to the side a little as a bright flash of lightning lit my room.
"Well, then," I muttered and turned to face my clock. Same time that I normally woke up. I never bothered with the alarm anymore. I woke up when I was supposed to and the sound of it instantly pissed me off. Never could explain why. I pulled myself from bed and changed into the first two things I grabbed, which thankfully was just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I brushed through my hair quickly, grabbed what I needed from my room, and headed downstairs. Killer was still asleep on my bed.
"G'morning," Tammy greeted cheerfully when I walked into the kitchen. Tammy loved thunderstorms with a passion.
"Morning," I greeted back and reached for one of the muffins still on the counter.
"Aren't those amazing?" Tammy asked as I took a big bite.
"Mhm," I agreed with a nod.
"Emily made them. She's the most amazing cook, I swear. I should get her to teach me sometime," she said, with a thoughtful expression. I only chuckled and started off to the living room.
"Be careful on your way to school, today. It's been raining really hard," Tammy said.
"Alright, I will," I told her and slipped my sneakers and coat on. I finished my muffin first, then flipped up my hood and stepped outside, thankful for the porch. Once I closed the door I charged for my car. I got in quickly, surprised to see I hadn't gotten semi soaked. I took my hood down and started my car, before pulling out of the driveway. I drive a little slower to school today, though I knew I probably didn't need to.
When I reached the school, I pulled into my spot and shoved my keys into my pocket. I flipped my hood back up and then got out, hurrying to the school. I noticed this time I wasn't as fortunate and my coat was feeling damp. Oh well. I went to my locker, grabbed my books, and shoved my coat in there. On the way to English I noticed a lot of girls were in an uproar and there were little whispering groups that occasionally merged with other ones. I wondered what was going on. I walked into class and sat next to Brandon.
"What's up with all the girls today?" I whispered to Brandon and he shrugged a little.
"There's a new guy or something. I guess he's really hot," he said, mocking a girl near the end. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, I guess I'll have to see for myself," I said, and he shook his head. I didn't really care, though. I wasn't the type of girl to fawn over popular beauties. As the day went on, I noticed girls were talking about this 'Joshua' just about everywhere. Even Becky was talking about him like he was a god. When lunch rolled around I didn't see the new boy anywhere.
"I hear about this guy all day and when I get a chance to see him, he's not here?" I asked, frowning in disappointment.
"It'll be okay, Amber. He'll be in Gym," Courtney said with an evil grin. I laughed and then dug into my salad. When I headed to Bio, I watched Edward carefully. He didn't appear to be stabbing me with his eyes, so I guess it was safe to assume he didn't know yet. We had been talking more and more in Bio and I noticed he stared at me when he thought I wasn't looking. Quite frankly, it creeped me out, but I understood that he was only trying to figure me out. I wish him good luck. I noticed that I was still attuned to his thoughts, but not when I actually wanted to know what he was thinking. We were working on our own today, and I was glad. I didn't feel like deal with his inquisitiveness today.
I was excited on my way to Gym. I couldn't wait to see this guy. After I changed, I joined my group of friends and looked around. I figured he was the one surrounded my a large group of people, mostly girls, and they were all blocking my view. Even when he had gotten picked I hadn't gotten a chance to see him. I was really getting frustrated now. We had moved on to soccer and he wouldn't be surrounded forever! I was on defense today and I watched the ball closely. When it started coming down my way, I rushed to get it, and right when I went to kick, he did some fancy foot work, and evaded me, but tripped me at the same time. I fell right on my butt and I started laughing along with everyone else.
"I'm sorry," the guy said with a beautiful laugh, "Are you okay?" he asked, turning to look down at me. The smile from my face was immediately wiped away as I looked up at the not so new face in front of me. My breath caught in my throat and it felt like my heart had been severely torn in two, again. There, standing in front of me, was Damen to an exact t, except the butterscotch eyes. I took in all his features, memories racing through my head. His blackish brown hair still hung in his eyes in the same 'emo' fashion as several people had called it. His skin was now a pale white compared to the start of a tan I remembered him getting. His perfect, full lips were the same as I remembered, and I could see the comforting arms that used to hold me from his sleeveless Gym shirt. I saw something flash in his eyes, and if I had been paying attention to anyone but him, I would have noticed Jasper had too. I got up, my mouth trying to form words, but couldn't. The room was completely silent, but I didn't care. I could feel the pain tearing at me, and I longed to hold him and apologize for everything.
"D-Damen?" I whispered, and almost flinched from the pain I heard in my voice. I started to reach up to him, and I saw him stiffen. Why weren't his eyes the icy blue I had remembered? Then something in my head clicked, and several pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He was a Cullen. He had never actually died, but instead somehow became a vampire. He's the reason why there were new werewolves, and since he was with the Cullens, that's why they didn't know.
"Sorry?" he asked, with a frown, and the sound of his voice tore at me some more. Oh how I had longed to hear him again. Why didn't he remember me? Something was wrong here. I frowned as I tried to figure it out. Another piece clicked into place. His voice was the one I had been hearing in my dreams. It was him who was the mysterious, yet familiar red eyed vampire from my dreams. Yet, why were his eyes topaz then? I backed up a step, and shook my head. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes.
"It can't be," I choked. He looked at me bewildered, and no one knew what to do. I backed up some more and he reached out to me, taking a step towards me.
"Are you-- hey! Where are you going?" he called after me. I had turned and ran from the Gym. I would not cry in front of them, or him. I couldn't believe what I just saw. I felt the tears spill over as I entered the locker room, and I changed as quickly as I could before someone came after me. The hot tears on my cheeks soon mixed with the cool drops of rain as I rushed to my car. It seemed no one had come to find me yet. Seeing his face opened up a painful hole in my chest that I thought I had closed. I could feel my body shaking from my sobs, as I drove home. I was glad to see Tammy wasn't home as I pulled into the driveway. I grabbed my keys and hurried inside, closing the door behind me. I felt my body slide down the door, and no matter what I did, I couldn't stop the tears.
I had thought I would never see him again. I rocked a little as I replayed our last night over and over. My memory had done him no justice. He was beautiful beyond compare now, and what hurt worse was that he didn't even remember me! He acted like he never knew me and pain lashed through me again at this realization. How could he have forgotten what we had for two years within two months?! I sat there against the door, letting it all out until the numbness started to fill the aching holes in my chest. I reached up and wiped at my eyes. My body was still shaking slightly as I got up and walked to the kitchen. I grabbed a paper towel and blew my severely congested nose. I needed to call Jake and let him know about 'Joshua'. I cleared my throat and grabbed the phone, going through the caller ID until I found his number. I hit that talk button and waited. I fidgeted as it kept ringing, and assumed no one was home.
"Hey, Jake? I found out today that there IS a new Cullen," I said once I got the answering machine. My voice was soft, but surprisingly I didn't sound like I had just gotten done crying. "I thought I would let you know. His name is Joshua, or something. He appears to be just like them, so I'm assuming he's good. I hope this helps," I said, then hung up the phone. I walked up to my room, pushing back the tears that wanted to form again. I layed on my bed with Killer curled into my side, and the tears started again when my mind driften to Damen's face.
The rest of the week went by slowly, and painfully. I tried to put on a happy face, but something reminded me of his constantly now. I had refused to talk about what happened, and by Thursday they gave up with asking, seeing that it only put me in a sad, withdrawn mood. I felt bad for not telling them, but I didn't want to uncover everything yet. I didn't want them to think I was pushing them away, and I would tell some of them eventually.
"Are you still going to the dance tonight?" Luke asked me at lunch one day, with a hopefully expression.
"Of course," I told him with a smile. He smiled back, and so did a lot of others. I guess I hadn't really been smiling a lot lately. Edward watched me even more now, trying to figure out what caused my outbreak on Tuesday, and I wondered what 'Joshua' had told him. I avoided 'Joshua' like the plague. In Gym I would go nowhere near him, and I know he wasn't the only one who noticed. I refused to come in contact with him, at all. I decided to try being more personable by Study Hall, and turned to Emmett.
"Hey, Emmett. Are you guys going to the dance tonight?" I asked. He turned to me with a smile, but then shook his head.
"Nah. Everyone but Esme and Carlisle are going on a trip this weekend. We're leaving after school tomorrow."
"Oh? Well, that's sucky. I bet the dance would be a lot more interesting with you guys there," I said with a grin. He laughed and nodded.
"You can tell me all about it on Monday, how about that?"
"Alright," I said with a nod.
"I hope there's some good drama," Emmett said with a grin and I laughed. It felt weird to laugh, but I liked it. The rest of the day passed by pretty quick, and once school was over, I hurried home to get ready for the dance. I knew it was going to be good.
--
So, how many of you saw that one coming?
Crazy, huh?
Alright, well, I have to leave in 5 minutes to start down to Syracuse.
I'll be excited to see everyones reviews when I get back!