Walking into Forks Hospital on Tuesday morning, I quickly re-read the email on my phone from Human Resources.
It laid out instructions about my first day and the induction I would be undertaking. After checking into security, having my photo taken and my background check completed, I was supplied with a pin tag pass which would get me through the doors and into the wing I would be working in.
After pinning the tag to my black skirt I nervously smoothed down my red blouse and checked that all my hair was still captured in the tight bun I wore. I had harassed my mother earlier in the morning to wake up and peek at my outfit to make sure it looked okay. She was more than happy to help me with smoothing up my hair as well. I had refused breakfast knowing I would too nervous to be able to eat anything.
Buzzing myself through the large metal door on the east wing I slowly made my way toward the reception desk to find out where the Research Department was. Thankfully the older woman at the counter pointed me in the right direction.
Knocking on a large wooden door I soon found myself standing in front of my new boss who was just as attractive as his voice had sounded over the phone. His blonde hair fell perfectly like a halo and the colour of his eyes threw me for a moment. They were a strange light brown almost golden hue, a colour which I had never ever seen before.
"You must be Leah," he smiled softly at me as he took my hand in a firm shake. His hands were cold as ice and I wondered if the air-conditioning in the building was set too high.
"It's so nice to meet you, Doctor. Thank you for the opportunity."
"It's not a problem. It's hard to get good help around here, especially from local applicants. Come, let's meet the other team member you'll be working with."
He guided me down the corridor away from his office and ushered me into another large room, using his tag to open the automatic doors.
There were several desks set out in the middle of the room while the edges of the walls were bordered by work counters gracing medical equipment I had become familiar with during college. One of the walls on the left side of the room was made entirely from glass which sectioned off a temperature controlled sealed area containing fridges filled with vials and more test equipment. It was more than impressive and I couldn't help but step around the room, taking in the way it looked.
"This research lab is state of the art and was only built last year thanks to a wonderful donor to the hospital. The grant which you are employed under is a privately funded vat of money. Every six months the board puts out new ideas which are picked up by research labs across the country. The company has several centres in hospitals here in the United States and internationally," the doctor explained. "The team is still relatively small and consists of my son, Edward and myself. We are still looking at other applicants and hope to eventually add to the team."
As if on cue, a bronzed hair man buzzed his way into the room, hands filled with cream manila folders. His hair stood up at all angles and he shared the same eyes as his father. When he saw me standing in the room he seemed slightly surprised and shared a concerned look with his father. I had the strange urge to run to the bathroom to check my face to see if anything was on it.
He collected himself quickly by placing the folders down and offering me a hand. "Edward Cullen, it's nice to meet you."
As I shook his hand my thoughts drifted back to Rachel and my mother. It dawned on me who I was accepting a job from and turned back to the blonde man. My eyes zeroed in on his name tag and I wanted to slap myself.
'Dr Carlisle Cullen'
.
"You will never guess who I'm working for," I told Rachel as I slipped off my shoes and collapsed on the couch. Charlie had called on my lunch break and offered me a ride home since he would be coming by for dinner anyway.
"Oh my god, who?" Rachel said excitedly, as if I was going to tell her I was working for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
"Carlisle Cullen," I whispered.
"No way."
"Oh and it gets better. His son Edward is a part of the Research Team as well."
Rachel laughed loudly, almost dropping the phone. "Oh god, this is too funny."
"Bitch," I muttered as I picked at the band in my hair. It was starting to feel like I was getting a facelift from how tight and heavy the band and my hair was.
"So - is he as pretty as everyone says? Drop ya panties, pretty?"
"He's okay but there's no way he holds a candle to Jake. What the hell was Bella Swan thinking?" I told her as I rubbed my forehead.
Silence engulfed the other end of the line. "OH. MY. GOD. You're sleeping with my brother!" she exclaimed loudly, bursting out in fits of giggles.
"Fuck Rachel, tell half of California while you're at it." I hissed as I checked over my shoulder to see where my mother and Charlie were. No doubt distracting each other by making out in the kitchen while the pot roast cooked. Bleh!
"You aren't denying it? Shit! Really Clearwater, my brother? You have horrible taste."
I knew Rachel was teasing me but I felt slightly guilty. Friends weren't supposed to sleep with each other's brothers.
Being my best friend, she read my mind in the silence.
"Hey, I think it's great. Jacob is - well he's actually quite disgusting, especially when you see him eat, but you seem to like him. And that's awesome. Except - you can never ever discuss anything you two do with me. EVER."
I chuckled at Rachel's antics. "I miss you," I said seriously into the cell, laying my head back into the couch.
"I know," she replied softly. "Text me later?"
"Will do."
.
After dinner with Charlie and my mother, I took a long hot shower and dressed in some warm pyjamas and pink fuzzy socks which I found in the back of my cupboard.
My mother was already running out of the door with Charlie, on her way to her night shift at the hospital when I came down the stairs.
"You going to be okay here?" My mother asked. "I can call Seth if you like?"
I shook my head. "I'll be fine, mom. Go."
After waving them both off I loitered in the kitchen for at least half an hour and made a cup of hot chocolate on the stove using cocoa, sugar and milk. Looking around for a place to sit down, I decided to settle into the iron wrought chair on the porch, lap filled with a manila file which outlined the proposal and concentration of the Research, and a woollen throw rug.
The crisp night air blew softly around me as I held the cup in both hands and read over the notes. I needed the fresh air and I sighed when I smelt the familiar scent of rain falling over LaPush. Lightning crackled in the distance as the clouds moved quickly in the sky, covering the moon.
It had been a long day and I knew I needed sleep, so instead of continuing with the file, I pulled off the rug and let my feet touch the porch so I could head inside again. Reading while tired was fruitless.
The breaking of a twig and the sound of shoes cuffing the gravel driveway drew my attention and I stiffened.
At the end of the drive, just out of the reach of the porch light, stood a figure in the dark. It stood unmoving like a statue and whatever it was, was tall. A ripple of fear rolled under my skin as I caught sight of blonde wisps of hair. My stomach clenched as I set my mug down and squinted my eyes to see if it was just my imagination.
When it took a step toward the house my fear kicked into overdrive. I quickly racked my brain to figure out where my mother kept my father's shotgun and if I could get to it fast enough. The figure didn't take another step but rather stood again, as if it were content in watching me.
I almost screamed in fright when the loud distinct sound of howl vibrated around me, almost shaking the house.
When I looked back at the drive, the figure was gone.
.
"Here, you look like you need this," Edward said as he placed a coffee mug besides the computer I was working on.
"Thanks." I grumbled as I looked up at him, noticing he didn't have one for himself. "You don't like coffee?"
"It requires a certain acquired taste to like coffee, one I do not share with most people." He replied smoothly as he moved towards one of the benches and continued to splice samples of organ tissue to analyse under the microscope.
I took a sip and spluttered. "Did you make this?"
He seemed offended by the face I pulled.
"No wonder you don't like coffee, this tastes disgusting. Did you put in any creamer or sugar?"
Edward shook his head in apology to which I rolled my eyes. I placed the cup down and went back typing in the results from the early morning tests Edward and Carlisle had conducted regarding cellular and genetic new tissue productions in amphibians. Unlike humans, amphibians had a predisposition to grow back limbs in their early infancy stages and they were in the early stages of working out the mechanisms to specify, differentiate, and pattern the regeneration.
I was glad when the day was finally over. Reaching into the locker for my bag, I almost screamed when Edward stood behind it as I closed the door.
"You seem on edge."
"Can you refrain from doing that? I didn't even hear you walk in." I bit out, pushing my fringe out of my eyes and hoisting the bag over my shoulder. Edward was lucky I didn't slap or cuss him out. My heart was still thrumming in my chest.
"I apologise," he told me gently. "Let me walk you out."
"Okay." I answered suspiciously as I turned on my heel and walked out of the staff room and down the almost empty corridors.
I was kind of grateful after my less than imaginary visitor last night. I still couldn't stomach the thought that someone had been watching me in the dark as I sat on the porch. LaPush was a safe area, it had been since I'd been a child. But now something seemed sinister.
As we walked, a lot of the lights were already switched off and workers gone for the day. The offices in the east wing were centred around research and day professions while the west wing of the structure housed the emergency rooms and patients, which was vibrant at all times of the day and night.
"I hope you do not mind me asking, but are you related to Seth Clearwater?" Edward queried as he swiped his card for the doors to swing open and allow us to continue to walk.
"Yeah, he's my brother."
I was aware Edward and his family were acquaintances of my brother and Jacob because of Bella Swan.
He nodded gently as he opened the main door of the building and let me pass. Clouds filled the skies as rain begin to fall lightly and thunder crackled in the air. Edward was strange, and not in the typical sense. He eluded some kind of presence that made me nervous. There were more than enough woman fawning over him at the hospital but I didn't really understand why. He was good-looking, but something about him made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and not in a good way.
When I saw Jacob's truck waiting for me in the parking bay I turned back to Edward. "Thanks for the escort."
"It's no trouble." He smiled softly though his golden eyes cut away from me almost instantly.
As I turned around the slam of Jacob's truck door made me cringe. My stomach did a nervous flop as I watched Jake, fists balled, round the truck and head straight for us. His eyes were almost black as his boots stomped against the wet pavement.
His gaze made me shrink, even though his eyes were firmly rested on my colleague. A growl ripped from Jacob's chest as the thunder clapped and the rain picked up. Steam seemed to rise from every drop that fell against the bare skin of his forearms as he stalked ever closer.
"Black," Edward nodded calmly as he crossed his arms, only serving to agitate Jake more.
"Cullen," he growled, almost ready to swipe the bronzed haired man up by the throat and shake him like a rag doll.
Before he could get any closer I stood in front of Jacob, attempting to block his path. My hands came up to indicate for him to stop. I knew there was bad blood between the two over Bella Swan, which is why I hadn't yet mentioned who I was working for. Obviously I should have, seeing as this situation was serving to only make things worse.
"Calm down, Jacob. Edward was just walking me out of the building."
He eyed Edward suspiciously as he pulled me towards him, engulfing me in his warmth with a territorial embrace. I shivered as his wet shirt clung to my cheek. "Did he do anything to you? Touch you in anyway?" Jake growled softly into my ear, his hands running over me to check for any damage.
I rolled my eyes at his worry. "The only thing he did was subject me to horrible coffee. Let's go. It's wet and I'm cold."
Jacob cupped my face in his hands, searching my eyes for the truth.
When he was satisfied he shot another warning glare at Edward before pulling me towards the truck.