"Oh, yes, they don't sleep at all, it's all just run around, run around, it's like they're..high...on chocolate all the time." The dreaded voice whispered the last words secretively. I sighed. This was so not my idea of fun. I thought by going to Emily and Sam's, who are pretty awesome, not to mention the fact that Quil and the rest of the pack are usually there, well, it was fun. But this? Dad's sister and her perfectly married husband and their two little blond-haired angels, as their doting grandmother calls them, are not family. At all. Anyone who...that girl...and their names, you'd think that John and Jane, husband and wife, would give their kids interesting original names like Quil's and Embry's. But no. It has to be James and Julia, or Jules. We always got them mixed up, Joan and Jales, Janes, et cetera.
As I was saying...anyone who wears a pink miniskirt (she's five) with little yellow hearts, and a hot pink Roxy t-shirt, and, wait for it, a pink and purple velour jacket, well, they're not family.
And what were they doing at Sam and Emily's? You ask. As do I. I wonder. They're so nice. Sam and Emily, in the good way, as in really meaning it, and them, in the horrible fake way, generic and blond, not to be hairist.
It's hard to find siblings less alike than my messy sincere dad and his older, strictly girl pink and blue boy sister.
Well...I tried to stand the inane conversation as best I could, but you'd think, living so close, they'd know that I, yes, I am in high school, and no, I'm not going to graduate next year. And I'm not looking at colleges quite yet, thank you very much. But apparently their suburb/development with identical houses was much different from our much loved, out-of-order, crumbling steps and peeling paint La Push, so as close as they are, it's like they're on Sirius. But no, I don't want to insult "Quil's" dog star. They're on their own little hot pink boiling hot sun.
"They get so hyper, I don't know whether they should have any chocolate cake, even if Claire did make it," Jane insulted my cake. And here, Julia was sitting on her mother's lap staring at it hungrily while James just sighed, sounding freakishly old for his little six-year-old body.
I did feel sorry for the kids, enough to sneak Julia some cake, but not enough to go off and play dolls with them. How I wished Quil was here. Or Jake or Embry or Leah or Seth or Annie or Izzy...or--well, you get the point. I'd even settle for Jack. But I'd have to take some karate lessons first, I think.
"We should totally see you more, Megan. You should come up to our place. Claire and Matt would love it there." Oh, I'm sure. Clear-cut forests and pastel houses. And pink tricycles and pink curtains and pink doll houses and pink sandboxes--well maybe just pink sandbox toys, but you get the point.
"Mom," I whispered urgently. "Mom, can we please go on a walk?" She didn't have quite the aversion I had to our dear relatives, but thought they were...weird all the same.
"Sure! Hey, Joan--I mean Jane, how would you like to go on a walk? It's beautiful out this time of year."
"Oh, yes, that would be marvelous. And since it's not raining the kids won't catch cold."
Quil's POV
I was bored to death. Vampires were in hiding, or in Seattle where the big prey was--"Quil!" was Sam's immediate reaction to that thought--and Claire was at some meeting with her "relatives"--she made big exclamations when she said that to me--that, when she told me about it, I wished I could whisk her away like in the movies and--well, away from her evil relations.
"We're done here, Quil, I'm phasing. Want a ride?"
"No, I'm good. I think I'll run for a while..."
" 'Kay. See you."
"Bye--" His thoughts cut out, and I was alone. I ran, and caught the smells of the forest intermingled with stale bloodsucker and some of the pack, animals like squirrels, rabbits, everything, birds...Claire.
Claire? It was fresh, so she was here now. Here? I immediately panicked. What if there was a bloodsucker we missed? Or just a plain old bear?
The logical, calm part of me said that there was no possible way for a leech to be near me right now without me smelling that acrid sweetness, and there weren't even bears around here, so close to the road.
The road. Duh. She was on the road.
I ran to the edge of the trees and peered out. I saw a fleeting figure turn the corner, recognizable. I ran to keep up and saw her mother, waving her arms randomly, doing stretches? a few yards ahead of Claire, and a group of mostly pink, with some brown splotches, who I figured must be the relatives, a ways behind. How could they be blond, with Claire's father being so...Native American, I wondered randomly.
Claire put her head in her hands and groaned, I could hear with my super-sensitive hearing. Glanced around, and I think she saw my head between the bushes, because she stood up straight and started running over to me.
"Quil?" She squinted in the gloom of the trees. "Sam?" I stepped closer and she gasped involuntarily, I stepped back cautiously.
"Quil." She sighed. "Thank freaking God."
I chuckled a wolfy chuckle. She grinned, and I saw how tense and unhappy she'd been a minute ago, looking into her eyes.
They really get to you, don't they? I wanted to ask her, but couldn't. I settled for nudging her with my nose, which would sound unbelievably weird if I was human. She stroked my nose, her light touch making me shiver.
"Yeah...they do." She said sadly, then jumped. "Huh?"
I frowned, my wolf eyebrows crinkling, I'm sure. I stepped back and met her eyes. They were wary.
Can you understand me?
"Yes--I--"
I smiled. This was so much easier.
"It is, but...how?" I said that...out loud?
I don't know how. Maybe...
"Maybe what?"
I squinted into her eyes. I'll ask Sam if this happens with Emily. I would have blushed if I could have. I felt my body heat up hotter than usual.
"Oh. Okay."
Change of subject...Your mom was being embarrassing?
She sighed. "As usual."
Does everyone embarrass you? She didn't respond do that. I wondered if the moment miracle had ended. I nudged her arm.
She jumped. "Huh? Did you say something...?"
I made a point to stare into her eyes. Yeah. I said, Does everyone embarrass you?
"Oh! Yeah. Usually." She sighed.
Even me? I joked.
"Silly Quil. Of course not. You're the only one who doesn't."
I can't say I wasn't happy at that. Awww...
She laughed.
We started walking, but we couldn't talk because it was awkward for us, human or wolf, to keep eye contact and walk at the same time. I wondered why I was in my wolf form, why I didn't just change back before. It seemed Claire was more comfortable when I was a wolf, once she got used to it. Jacob had said (or I had heard) that the same thing had happened with Bella, but...I thought that was just, well, Bella, and that Claire would be different. I don't know why.
I barked a short back and Claire looked into my eyes right away, predicting what I wanted, and I said--no, thought, that I'd be back in a second.
I ran a little away, phased, and pulled on a pair of cutoffs and jogged back to where Claire was waiting. When she saw me, she looked surprised.
"Yes, it was really me, and no, I was not a impostor."
"I didn't think you were, Quil." She didn't even laugh at my pathetic humor like she usually does.
"What's wrong, Claire?"
She ran to me and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her. She shmushed her face into my bare chest. I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her.
"I just...Oh, Quil--"
"It's not those 'relatives', is it?" I tensed, automatically fighting them in my mind.
"No--yes. Kind of. It just makes me realize...we're doomed, Quil. Doomed."
"Oh no. You sound like those people who go around screaming that."
"Thanks a ton. No, really. That's the next generation?" She pulled away and I let go reluctantly, and I saw the disgust on her face.
"No, Claire. You are the next generation."
She grinned. "Right. And that's much better."
"Come on Claire."
"Yeah, I guess. It's better to think of you, and the pack as 'the next generation', though."
"Me? We aren't even this generation. No wait, we are. No, we're no generation."
"Thanks for bursting my bubble, Quil."
"No problem."
A/N: I know, it's amazing, me updating so soon. Sorry I haven't in a while, before that last one. I did Quil's POV, because a lot of you guys said you liked his POV better, and I realized I like writing it better too, so that's good. Keep reviewing? Thanks.
And also...I just wanted to thank all the wonderful people who HAVE been reviewing. They are awesome. And they are the reason I keep writing this story. OK. End corny part. But really. Thanks.