Chapter 20

Part I

Bonfire

Oh where, oh where could my Jasper be? I sighed as I rested my head on my arms. I shifted around in the empty booth and glared at the high stack of papers on the tabletop before me. I blew a steady stream of air aimed at my bangs; I watched, half amused, as the brown strands floated with pure boredom.

"How am I supposed to be distracted from doing all of this paper work if there's no distraction to distract me from it?" I groaned. As was every Saturday, I found myself sitting in the dimly lit, closed restaurant filing through the day's profits and calamities. Now, usually, Jasper would have been here by now. When Jasper's here, I'm motivated to actually look at the papers (and quite quickly) so I can get them done in order to spend time with him. But he's not here, so I'm left here all alone in a dark, empty building to stare at a stack of papers until I eventually pass out and latch onto a wooden chair for a huggy-toy when I fall asleep.

I glanced at the clock and felt even more restless. It was twelve midnight. Where was he? Did something happen? Did someone get hurt? Is Victoria in Forks again? Has there been another victim of the Seattle killings, but this time closer to home? Does he not like me anymore? Do I do something stupid? Is the world ending and he's secretly out there trying to fight a giant flaming asteroid as it falls down from the sky to wipe us all out and-

The front door opened. My head flew up instantly and my body turned around completely to face the intruder. "Jasper!" I chirped happily. My smile fell when I saw the look on his face.

Jasper looked tense. His hair was in disarray, probably from running his hands through the tresses so many times. His eyes were dark, careful. At the sound of my voice, he turned to face me. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me.

"What's wrong?" I questioned quietly as I searched his eyes for the source of his paranoia. The godly man took my hands in his own and kissed them both lightly. His eyelids slid closed and his breath steadied. "What happened?" I insisted. Jasper slowly explained, "It's Bella. This morning she discovered some of her personal items to be missing. When Edward arrived, he found a scent, one belonging to another vampire. Emmett, Edward, and myself have been tracking the scent all day, but we lost the trail."

All color drained from my face. Bella too? It's one thing for someone to be in my room, but to be in Bella's? Something's wrong, very wrong. "It wasn't the same vampire that was in your room," Jasper added. "Victoria?" I asked as I absentmindedly played with his hands to keep my mind from going crazy and overloading with thought. "We're not sure," Jasper frowned as his eyes bore nervously at our entwining fingers, "It's a toss up between her and The Volturi."

Jasper's Point of View

Schuyler let out a loud snarl, a sound I'd thought impossible for the tiny girl, and she rushed right past me in a rage. "The Volturi!" She grabbed the side of her head and growled lowly. Then she began laughing. "Bella really is a monster magnet, isn't she?" She sighed and turned back around to face me. Her eyes were hard, angered. In all the time I'd known her, I've never seen her angry. I've seen her sad, tortured, terrified, happy, loving, beautiful. Never angry.

"What'd she do to piss them off so badly?" She chuckled humorlessly. Her eyes were void completely except for a lace of bitterness. I stood slowly, cautiously and answered, not taking my eyes off her for a single second, "She knows our secret. The Volturi won't allow her to live unless she becomes one of us. There was also a deadline. A possibility might be that they've found out that she hasn't been changed yet." Schuyler accepted the answer with a nod. She sighed irritably, yet calmer than she was when she had the little spurt of anger, and ran her hands through her curly hair. She then looked up to me, the sparkle of her eyes still lost in a void, "It's not the Volturi."

She seemed so sure. Does she know something that we don't? "What makes you say that?" I questioned, still careful. Sky began to pace back and forth, like a creature trapped in a small cage, as she rambled on with her theories, "The Volturi won't kill Bella." Has she lost her mind? She does realize who she's talking about, right? "The Volturi will do whatever they have to in order to keep the secret of the vampires unknown to mortals. Bella stands in their way. The Volturi are known especially for their removal of obstacles." "True," She nodded. Finally, she stopped to stand in front of me with a sad, pained smile, "But you forgot one thing, darling." I ignored the name, "What would that be?" "Aro," She whispered bitterly.

Aro? One of the three leaders of the Volturi? Yes, I answered my previous question, I've fallen in love with an insane woman. Why would Aro object to killing Bella? It makes no sense. "Aro?" I began as she moved to sit on top of the table. "Aro is a collector," She began, her eyes showing that she was lost in a past memory, "A collector will stop at nothing to add to and ultimately complete his collection. Aro will not kill Bella. If I know him well, he knows Bella is different. Bella is a human, yet she can block out even a vampire's gift. Aro… is always looking for something to add to his collection. I can assure you he won't kill Bella until she has been changed and has denied him. Before that, he will wait for the inevitable. Naturally, Marcus and Caius will not object." My eyebrows furrowed and my breathing became shaky, but not for fear of Bella, for Schuyler. "Do they know of your ability?" If they did, it would explain someone in her room. Aro has been after Alice, Edward, and myself for a lengthy amount of time, but if they knew about Schuyler… They would never stop until they found her.

"No," she stared emptily for a minute. She finally focused on me, "And I plan to keep it that way." I nodded subconsciously. I would take her secret to the grave, er, well, I wouldn't tell. She frowned and kicked her legs, "If you recall me saying, I've had a run-in with the Volturi before. It wasn't pleasant. I was very fortunate at the time that they didn't figure it out. As far as I'm concerned, they only know that I'm different, that I live, yet at the same time I do not. I thirst for blood, but do not drink it. I was even more fortunate when Aro didn't take that type of interest in me whilst I was in their presence." Suddenly she grinned smugly, "I have to give myself credit for being sneaky, though. I skillfully avoided any physical contact, well, except for the momentary run-in with the shield; that gift only lasted a few minutes. Aro never got his sickly little paws on me. To think I escaped with them only knowing I was 'odd'. I'm quite proud, actually." I rolled my eyes, deciding to weasel the story out her later. But the heart of the matter was that they didn't know anything about Schuyler and that Bella still held the temporary truce with the group. She had a point about the Volturi, but I didn't want to completely rule it out.

Schuyler's Point of View

"Sorry, Jazz," I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. I apologized sincerely, "I didn't mean to get so… carried away." He simply nodded and took a seat in the booth. "I have to leave," he explained, unhappiness clouding his eyes, "I'm switching off with Edward to patrol outside Bella's house with Emmett. We're taking turns and keeping watch in case the vampire that broke in tries to come back." I frowned. I didn't want him to leave! He just got here! But then again, Izzy needed some heavy duty guarding right now. Victoria's a slippery one. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett will be able to protect her. "Alright," I nodded and kissed him briefly. He sighed into the kiss. When he parted, he looked quite reluctant to leave. "Go," I ushered him out the door unenthusiastically, "Before I change my mind. Shoo." He frowned, but left. I sighed as I locked the door behind him. I guess I'll sleep tonight.

I turned to grab my keys off the table when I realized something. "No!" I cried out. The stupid pile of papers was still waiting to be taken care of. "Curse you," I glared as I sat down, ready for several slow hours of paperwork.

"Sorry, no dogs allowed," I smiled fakely as the giant stumbled into my restaurant early Sunday morning. Jacob frowned and wiped at his red, sleep deprived eyes and grumbled, "Zip it, shorty. I'm not here by choice." Billy rolled in behind him to prove his point. Billy, who was chipper and awake, cheerily greeted, "Good morning, Skye!" "Morning, Billy," I smiled happily as I escorted him past a few early birds to an empty table. As soon as I sat them down and got their orders, Billy started up a conversation (I stayed because business was slow; church hadn't let out yet), "Skye, you wouldn't be busy tonight, would you?" "Hm? No, I believe I'm completely busy free for today," I answered simply. "How would you like to come to La Push? We're having a bonfire," he offered. I looked over to Jacob, who had crashed his head onto the table. He groaned and muttered, "By all means, don't. It's no fun. Don't come." "Stop being so negative," Billy scolded his son. He turned back to me with a tempting offer, "Jake's just playing around. There'll be stories and food." Food? I perked up at the notion. "Free food?" I excitedly questioned. He rolled his eyes, "Sure, sure." So that's were Junior got that from. I suddenly frowned when I remembered something from the past, "Hey, Billy, this bonfire wouldn't actually happen to be a Council meeting, would it?" Jacob snickered victoriously and sat up in his chair with a smirk, "Yes! Everyone that's coming is in the pack! You shouldn't come." "Now, Jake, that's not true," Billy smiled in triumph. His eyes glittered, "Bella will be there, too." "Izzy's going to be there?" I asked off guard. I thought about the invitation for a minute. "Alright," I shrugged, "Count me in." Jacob's face fell in disbelief. "Order up!" Oh, got to get to work. I winked at the boy as I got up, "See you tonight, pup!" He groaned and fell back onto the table.

"Wow, lookin' sexy, Izzy." "Sky? What are you doing here?" Bella asked as she hopped off Edward's motorcycle. Edward was careful as he got off. He eyed me curiously. Bella pulled her helmet off and looked between me and Jacob, who had been a sourpuss ever since this morning. "Get off my car," he glared, already knowing (after telling me repeatedly) that any attempt to pry me off the hood of the car to be futile. "I was invited," I smiled as I ignored the brute. Edward's darkened eyes brightened and he smirked at Jacob, "You're going as well?" "Yep! Free food," I shrugged carelessly.

"That's wonderful," he brightened happily. He kissed Bella and held her close with a smirk (no doubt getting his scent all over her, the ingenious little devil). "Have fun," he told her as he walked her to the border line. "Now will you get off my car?" Jacob glared and then gestured to my truck. I rolled my eyes but slid off the hood none-the-less, "See you there, Izzy." She smiled and nodded as she got into the rabbit and I got into my black truck. "Jeez, Bella, you reek!" I smirked. Jacob started up the car. The rabbit sped off and I followed right after.

"Don't worry about a thing, Izzy," I smiled as I patted our linked arms, "I'll protect you from the big bad wolf." Bella chuckled and side glanced at Jacob, who was frowning. He noticed my stare and stuck his tongue out at me while Bella's head was turned. I mirrored the move.

"Wow," Bella and I muttered as we came upon the cliff. Before us was a circle of people, some of which I recognized. In the middle of it all was a colossus fire. "Nice," I mumbled to myself as I brushed my bangs from my eyes. Once we got to the circle, the wolves grew quiet and a dozen pairs of eyes settled on us. Bella and I shared an unsure glance. I shrugged as we unlinked arms and she stood between Jacob and me. I returned every glance upon me, sizing each one up as I bore into their dark eyes. "Hi!" I beamed to them all, friendly as can be. With a small wave, I introduced myself, "I'm Schuyler!" They all stared at me, baffled. Ignoring the wolves for the moment, I walked up to the humans that I knew- Billy and Sue.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again," I smiled to the older woman, Sue Clearwater. She nodded with a small smile, "The pleasure is all mine." Billy nodded to me with a smile, "Don't worry about the boys. They're to be on their best behavior. Have a look around, eat!" The simple word, eat, made my heart soar. I looked around and found someone at a large grill cooking a few hot dogs. On a table beside that were several bags of extra large potato chips. Beside those were several 2-liters of various sodas. I sighed blissfully, "Heaven."

I slinked to the buffet tablet in a blissful daze only to be thwarted by someone's arm. I frowned, extremely unhappy, and glared at the owner- Jacob. "You're between me and the food, Junior. That's not a good place to be," I growled. Jacob rolled his eyes, "Those are for the adults. We're to roast our own over the fire. That way, we can eat as many as we want without running out every five minutes." My eyes sparkled and lit up, "So I get food! Where are the hot dogs at?" Jacob sighed and steered me from behind to sit on a log beside Bella. He then dragged a giant bag of raw hotdogs over near me. He sat it between myself and a member of the wolf pack. He then handed me a hanger, "Have fun." With that, he left to sit on the other side of Bella, who was already roasting her own hotdog.

I wasted no time in unfolding the metal hanger. Once I had it perfectly straight, I stuck four hotdogs at once and held it over the fire. I got a few strange looks. Just to freak them out or irritate them (either one works), I began whistling a scout song. The wolf on the other side of the hotdogs laughed at me as I nimbly picked off a hot dog and devoured it. "You really going to eat all of that?" He eyed my tiny figure, which was displayed quite easily with the white baby doll top and dark low-rise jeans. "Yep!" I chirped as I devoured the rest. I reached into the bag for four more, "I have a big stomach." Jacob scoffed, "More like a bottomless pit." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I'm Schuyler, who are you?" I asked as I waited for the food to cook. He stared at me incredulously, "It's Paul." "Well, Paul," I winked, "When you get full after eating those hot dogs, feel free to give me the extras." Paul scoffed, "Like a little girl like you could out eat a wolf." I tried to hide the growing smirk on my face, "Is that a challenge?" Jacob quickly jumped in, "Don't-" "Deal." I jumped inwardly for joy. And so, the contest to see who can eat the most began.

"Dude, how is she still hungry!" "Ooh, are there anymore?" I asked as I looked around the awed faces of the wolves. One, whose name I learned to be Jared, shook his head in a stupor. Jacob groaned, "I warned you! Jeez, Paul." "I can't believe he lost!" Quil, one of the friends Jacob brought previously to the restaurant, teased his friend. Paul moaned as he rubbed his overwhelmed stomach. "Full?" I laughed as I picked off the last hot dog in the bag. He groaned louder and fell onto his back. Bella chuckled alongside me. "Are there any chips left?" I asked the leader of the pack, Sam, who was in charge of the food. He nodded in disbelief and handed over a bag. I eagerly ripped the bag open and began shoveling them down. "134 hot dogs, three 2-liters, and 7 bags of potato chips," Emily, Sam's fiancé, counted off the tally from her notebook. "Potato chip?" I offered some of my prize to the youngest of the pack, Seth. Seth nodded appreciatively and grabbed a handful.

Jacob and Bella were talking off to the side. I couldn't help but eavesdrop when Jacob said, "Don't start that yet, the best part hasn't even started yet." The food wasn't the best part? I frowned as I polished of the last bag of chips; if food wasn't the highlight, then what was?

Billy answered my question. The older man rolled closer to the fire, closer to all of the listening ears. He began by announcing the time and start of the official meeting. Emily, who now sat beside me, flipped to a new page of her notebook and began to scribble down every word he said. Billy, in a rich and loud voice, began the story of the spirit warriors, a story I'd heard many decades earlier when I once attended a council meeting. I leaned in closer and listened closely. I lost myself in the tone of his voice and found myself lost in the magic of the legend of how the wolves came to be.

Once Billy had finished his tale, Old Quil went next. His voice was feeble and lower than Billy's, yet it still held in it a great captivation. Old Quil called for silence as he looked at every single face in the circle. His eyes stopped on my face, the last face, and he smiled for the briefest of moments. Ah, good Old Quil. What a nice guy. I nodded to him respectively. He returned the small gesture. Then, he began the tale of the Third Wife, one I had, too, already heard. Again, I lost myself in the magic of the story.

At the end of the story, everyone was in a daze. It took several minutes for everyone to snap out of it and realize the intense story was over. I blinked and caught sight of Jacob and Bella. Bella, as I noticed a few minutes earlier, had fallen asleep. I began to get up, like everyone else, to go over and help Jacob get her to the car. I walked over to the two.

Billy wasn't finished. He caught everyone by surprise by clearing his voice loudly and announcing to everyone that there was one more story to be told, one told only once before, many, many years prior. Respecting the old man, and eager to hear more, everyone settled back to their places and waited expectantly. I sat down next to Jacob and joined in feeling the suspense.

Billy's attitude changed from eager storyteller to a stoned faced elder who had lived a long life. He looked around the crowd for effect, but lingered on me for several moments. He then announced the name of the story, "This is the tale of the lovers- The lovers that could never be." My eyebrows furrowed; how exactly does this fit into the whole Quileute legend theme? Jacob saw my confusion and explained in a whisper, "It's kind of like Romeo and Juliet. I've only heard dad tell me the story once, but it's pretty much about a Quileute man who falls in love with an immortal creature, an angel. It ends pretty sadly. Rachel, my sister, always cried when she heard it. I'm not sure why he's insisting on telling it now, though. He's never told it before." "What about Old Quil?" I whispered back. "No," Jacob shook his head, "Only dad knows the story." Only Billy? I turned back to my oldest friend as he began his story.