Well…I survived. Of course, it would help if the people running the summer camp actually knew what they were doing. I shouldn't have to make up my own schedule and bring my own supplies for a summer camp. Ugh…people…
IAmABoredGirlWithNothingToDo: Thank you very much for your review! :P
Sakura02: Now if only Jacob hadn't rescued her….
Thanks: night1001 and NijiNoNeko for your reviews!
Juliet paced the length of the small strip of beach where she had seen Bella fall nervously. She had seen Jacob leap in after the teenager and could do nothing but sit helplessly on the shore. "Please be all right. Oh, please don't die, Bella." Juliet wailed in her mind. She perked up and immediately rushed over to where Jacob had laid the very pale Bella. She whined and pushed her nose against Bella's cheek.
"Get back, Juliet!" Jacob barked. He roughly slapped Bella's back. "Breathe, you idiot!"
"Stop hitting her so hard!" Juliet yelled as she phased back. She crouched beside Bella and rubbed one of Bella's freezing hands in her warm ones. "Bella, please don't die. Please wake up."
"How long has she been out?" Sam asked as he ran up. He quickly tugged the t-shirt Juliet had discarded in her panic over the child's head.
Juliet struggled for a moment before focusing back on Bella's pale face. "Please wake up, Bella. Please be okay." She whispered softly as she continued to rub Bella's hand. Her eyes lit up as Bella cracked her eyes open. "Bella!"
Bella let out a violent cough. "J-Juliet? Jake?" She asked. She gasped in pain when Juliet flung her tiny body onto her.
"I was so scared, Bella!" Juliet cried. "I was scared you were dead and that you were gonna leave me too!"
Sam patiently pried Juliet off of Bella. "Juliet, come with me. Jacob will take care of Bella."
"I'll be all right." Bella reassured the small werewolf before being scooped up into Jacob's arms.
Juliet reluctantly nodded before phasing and following Sam. As soon as she did, a terrible pain washed over her. "W-What's happened to Mr. Clearwater?" She already knew the answer. She had heard Sam thinking about it the moment she phased. She couldn't believe it though. Harry Clearwater had always played with her when she was much smaller and loved taking her fishing when Billy or Charlie wouldn't go with him. "He…He can't be…"
Sam paused, causing Juliet to run headlong into him. He nuzzled her tiny head with his large muzzle and touched their noses together. "Harry had a heart attack, Juliet. It doesn't look too good. I know this is hard for you right now but I have a very important job for you. Can you be strong for me?"
Juliet whimpered in her mind but she nodded her head. "What do I need to do?"
"I need you to guard the Swan house." Sam answered. "Charlie is at the hospital right now but that leech may try to set a trap there. I don't want you to attack her but if you sense her, sound the alarm and we'll be there in a heart beat. Can you do that?"
"Yes." Juliet leaned forward and licked Sam's face. "It's all right, Mr. Sam. Don't be sad." With that, Juliet rushed off towards the Swan house, trying her best to muffle her own sadness so as not to disturb the others. She focused on the one thing that made her the happiest in the whole world even though she knew it wouldn't please Sam and the others. "Matthew, I need you!" She cried in her mind.
She received no response from Matthew which didn't surprise Juliet. He only spoke to her when she slept. It wasn't long before she reached the Swan house. Deciding it would be best to hide in the house, Juliet slipped in using the key Charlie had hidden. She phased back and pulled on her t-shirt.
It was the first time she had been in the Swan's house without Bella there. It felt strange. Despite feeling claustrophobic in the dark, Juliet knew it would be unwise to turn on any lights and alert Victoria to someone's presence. A yawn tore from Juliet. She had never felt so emotionally drained in her life. Juliet decided she would curl up on the couch just to take a brief nap. If Victoria came near the house, Juliet would smell her. With that comforting thought, Juliet fell asleep.
The smell of a vampire did indeed awaken Juliet a few hours later. She sat bolt straight up from the couch and looked frantically around. The soft sound of the door clicking shut rang through the dark house. Juliet slid off the couch and crept over to the entryway. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it was indeed a vampire standing by the door. But it wasn't Victoria…
"Alice!" Juliet screamed as she launched herself at the unsuspecting vampire.
Clearly startled, Alice barely had time to catch the small child in her arms. "Juliet! What are you doing here? What's happened to Bella? And…" Alice crinkled her nose as she held Juliet close. "why do you smell like a wet dog?"
Juliet blinked and crinkled her nose as well. "You smell funny too, Alice! But I don't care! I'm so happy to see you!" She hugged Alice tightly as tears poured from her eyes. "I missed you all so much! Is Matthew here!"
A soft smile graced Alice's face as she stood up and opened the door. "It's safe. Come in."
Matthew didn't even make it completely into the house before Juliet tackled him back onto the porch. "Juliet!"
"Matthew!" Juliet shouted as she hugged the vampire child. She continued crying as she kissed his face over and over. "Oh, Matthew, I've missed you so much! I've been all alone ever since you left and Mr. Sam and the others were angry with me because I wouldn't forget you!" She pulled away and grinned at Matthew and for the first time since they had been apart, finally looked at him.
"Juliet, are you okay?" Matthew hesitantly poked Juliet's cheek. Her eyes suddenly held a dreamy look about them as she stared at him.
Juliet blinked slowly and shook her head. "Um…yeah…I'm fine." She laughed nervously. "It was weird. When I looked at you, it felt like I couldn't breathe and everything just stopped."
Alice raised an eyebrow before shaking her head and ushering the two children inside. "Juliet, what is going on here? What happened to Bella? I saw her jump off the cliff and then…nothing. And you…I haven't been able to see you for months! We had no clue what had happened to you but Matthew insisted that he had talked to you."
Juliet sat back down on the couch and leaned against Matthew's side. "I'm fine. I'm just…different now. And Bella's fine. Uncle Jacob saved her."
Matthew held Juliet's hand and nuzzled her cheek. She did smell different. There was an underlying bitter smell to the usually sweet smell he loved so much. The sweet smell that was purely Juliet, though, won over the slightly bitter smell and so Matthew continued his nuzzling.
Juliet giggled and hugged Matthew tightly. "Where have you guys been? Where's Carlisle and Esme? Are Emmett and Rosalie okay? What about Jasper? And where's Edward? Doesn't he miss Bella?"
Alice waved her hand. "One question at a time. And you…what do you mean your different?"
Juliet bit her lip. "I can't say…"
The sounds of a heated argument pulled Alice up short of her interrogation. She motioned for the two children to sit quietly on the couch while she went to stand beside the door.
Matthew slouched down on the couch and held Juliet closer to him. "Juliet, you smell different." He whispered.
"You do too." Juliet answered back. She had always known Matthew as a vampire and yet, for some reason, he smelled different. Not as horrible as Victoria but different nonetheless. "Is it bad?"
"No." Matthew crouched protectively over Juliet as the front door opened. He perked up when the lights turned on and saw who it was that had suddenly hugged Alice. "Bella!"
"Oh, Matthew!" Bella rushed over and scooped Matthew up. "Are the others here?" She blinked when she heard Juliet growl at her and looked down to find the girl glaring at her. "Juliet?"
Juliet blinked and snapped out of her brief anger as Bella put Matthew down. "That was weird…"
"Okay." Alice sighed out in clear exasperation. "Someone please tell me why you smell different," She pointed to Juliet and continued. "and why I haven't been able to see you for months, and how you are still alive." Alice pointed at Bella. "I saw you jump off a cliff and then nothing."
"I already told you." Juliet answered before Bella could. "Uncle Jacob saved her."
"Why didn't I see this Jacob person then?" Alice huffed out, clearly put off that her powers seemed to not be working.
Bella shifted nervously. "Well, I jumped off the cliff and I would've died. The currents were really strong, you see. But Jacob pulled me out."
"How did he pull you out if the currents were so strong?" Alice asked, clearly skeptical. She wrinkled her nose. "And why do you smell like a wet dog too!"
Bella looked to Juliet whom simply shrugged helplessly. "Well…you see…Jacob…and Juliet…as well as the other Quileutes are sort of kind of…werewolves." Bella finished lamely.
Alice blinked slowly. Before she could question Bella further, the doorbell rang. She noticed Juliet suddenly slouch down as though she were trying to disappear. "What's wrong?"
Juliet remained behind Matthew and held his hand tightly. "Uncle Jacob…" She muttered. "Alice, Matthew, you guys better leave." She hugged Matthew tightly before he disappeared out the back door. "Promise you'll come back?"
Matthew hugged her tightly as well. "Promise." He disappeared just as Bella opened the door to allow a clearly irate Jacob in.
"You were supposed to tell us if any leeches showed up here!" He snapped.
"No I wasn't!" Juliet shouted back, suddenly feeling an overwhelming need to defend Matthew. "Mr. Sam told me to tell if Victoria was here and she wasn't!"
Jacob had to count to ten. "You. Stay. Bella and I have some things to discuss."
Juliet huffed but complied. She sat on the couch and waited impatiently for Jacob and Bella to reappear. As the minutes ticked on, dread slowly crept into her. She knew Sam was going to be furious with her when she got back, not to mention the rest of the pack. Would they banish her? If they did, would Matthew let her stay with him? Before her thoughts could go any further, a frantic Alice and Matthew reappeared. "Matthew?"
Matthew rushed to Juliet while Alice went to the kitchen where Bella and Jacob were. "Juliet, it's terrible! Edward is…Edward…" If he could've cried, Matthew would've been bawling.
Juliet hugged him. "What's wrong with Edward?"
"I don't know exactly." Matthew whimpered out. "His thoughts are really jumbled right now. He thinks Bella is dead for some reason and…he wants to die too."
"Why would he think that!" Juliet cried in alarm. When Jacob carried a semi-unconscious Bella into the living room with a frantic Alice behind him, Juliet knew something was wrong. She jumped up on the couch and shook Bella's shoulders. "Wake up, Bella! This is no time for a nap! Why does Edward think Bella is dead!" She shouted out as Alice yelled at Rosalie over the phone.
"Alice," Bella gasped out as she came to. "Carlisle called just before you got back. Jacob spoke to him."
Alice turned on Jacob. "What did you say?" She hissed.
"I just said Charlie wasn't in…" Jacob muttered self-consciously.
"And that he was at a funeral!" Bella added.
Alice groaned. "That wasn't Carlisle…it was Edward…"
"Edward thinks Bella is dead!" Matthew wailed out in despair.
Juliet glared at Jacob. "Why'd you say that! Why didn't you tell him where Bella was!"
"Because he didn't ask for Bella!" Jacob snapped. "He asked where Charlie was!"
"Alice, what can we do!" Bella asked.
Alice bit her lip. "I can't ask that of you…"
"Alice!" Bella practically shrieked.
"He's going to the Volturi." Matthew said softly. "I can hear his thoughts but he won't listen to me. He's completely shut off communication. We've gotta go to Italy and stop Edward from getting himself killed!"
"Bella, I need you to write a letter to Charlie while I call the airlines." Alice said as calmly as she could in the situation. "Please tell me you have a passport."
"Yes." Bella gasped out.
"I do too!" Juliet cried excitedly. "It's in the Rabbit with my other stuff. Mommy and Daddy took me to England last summer before they started arguing."
"Oh no." Jacob hissed out as Juliet bolted to the Rabbit. "Juliet, you are not going with them!"
"Yes I am!" Juliet ignored the incredulous looks Jared and Embry gave her as she dug through the back of the Rabbit. She crowed triumphantly as she pulled out her overnight bag that she had packed in case she wanted to run away when Jacob was mean to her. She stomped back to the house with Jacob hot on her heels.
"Juliet, do you know what you're doing!" Jacob yelled as he finally caught his niece's arm. "Do you realize how much trouble you could get into with Sam if you come back alive! Those leeches over in Italy will tear you apart!"
"I have to help save Edward!" Juliet snapped back. "Matthew will be sad if Edward dies and so will Bella. You know if Edward dies, Bella will too. Do you want that!" As soon as Jacob's grip on her arm had slackened Juliet ran back into the house.
Alice raised an eyebrow. "That was amazingly convenient." She inclined her head to Juliet's duffle bag. "Passport?"
"Yup!" Juliet beamed proudly. "I hid it in the Rabbit so I could run away if I ever wanted to because Uncle Jacob can be really mean sometimes.
"I won't let you take either of them!" Jacob hissed at Alice as he stormed back into the house.
"You think Bella is better off her with you dogs—no offense, Juliet—that can even deal with the likes of Victoria?" Alice sneered out.
Juliet and Matthew stood side by side and listened to the heated argument between the vampire and werewolf. Matthew puffed his chest up. "I'll protect her. I'll protect Juliet."
"You!" Jacob rounded on Matthew. "You're the whole reason Juliet is obsessed with the Cullens. If it weren't for you…!"
"That's enough, Jacob." Bella snapped as she came down the stairs. "You and Alice can argue when we get back but don't you dare yell at Matthew. He's just a child. I won't let anything happen to Juliet, I promise." Bella shouted over her shoulder as she took both Matthew's and Juliet's hands in hers and led them to Alice's car.
"I'll take them to the car." Alice whispered as Jacob followed them out of the house.
Juliet pressed her face against the window as she was buckled into the car. She could see the frustration and anger on her uncle's face. She knew she shouldn't just leave like this, but she had to help save Edward. If Edward died, so would Bella and Matthew would be devastated. More than anything, she wanted to keep Matthew happy.
As Bella hopped into the car and they sped off, Matthew leaned over and hugged Juliet tightly. "It's okay, I'll protect you."
And as Matthew held her, Juliet cried.
Next chapter the group will be in Italy! Review to find out what happens with the Volturi!