Dwelling in the Dusk Chapter 26: The Storm Before Dusk, a twilight fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Storm Before Dusk
Sarah-Isabelle Black's POV
Flashback: April, 2017

"Why can't I have a nanny, Dad?" I questioned with a deep frown.

My father stared me down with his patronising eyes, patting me on the shoulder. "Sarah, you don't need a nanny. You have Joanne and Ben to look after you. And I'll always be here to keep you safe."

"You're not always here, you know," I countered, casting my stubborn gaze over the floor.

Dad crouched down before me, leaving our faces level, putting his heavy hands on my shoulders. The look of sorrow grazed his hard eyes and I blinked innocently, giving him a questioning stare. "I know, Sarah...and I'm sorry. Business takes me many places."

"Why can't I ever come with you?" I asked sadly.

"How will you keep up with your studies at home?"

"But I'm homeschooled," I lied. "Going with you won't make a difference."

"Staying home also keeps you safe," Dad clarified. "And that's my main priority."

Resentment spilled over my tone as I spoke, "But it's not fair, Dad!"

"A lot of things aren't fair, Sarah," My father nodded gruffly. "You'll have to learn to be resilient."

"There's nothing to be resilient for," I snapped, turning away from Dad and approaching the backyard balcony's sandstone stairs. Glumly sitting with my back to my father, I sighed, holding up my chin with my palms in boredom. "There's nothing out there to hurt me."

"That's where you're wrong, Sarah-Isabelle," Dad's voice was distant, though chilling to hear its honesty. "There are many, many things that wish to hurt you and take you away from me. Do you want that to happen?"

"No," I muttered coldly and glared into the forest, peering through the green leaves and brown branches, knowing freedom lay on the other side of those shadows. Frowning, Dad's voice echoed through my mind again and one particular word caught my attention. "Things?" I whispered. "Things...like people, right?"

A few footsteps followed my question and there sat my father, looking at me as I gazed into the shadows of the forest. His eyes burned holes into the side of my face, though I refused to meet his. "Things...things that may seem like people. But, Sarah, they may be something more dangerous."

"What do you mean?" I murmured.

"Do you remember what I told you to do when you felt you were in the most treacherous danger?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

I nodded reluctantly. "Yes. I say that word only in the most dangerous situations."

"What situations might they be?" He queried. "Give me an example."

"I don't know. If I'm about to be run over?"

"No, more dangerous," He replied mechanically.

"If there's a bomb on my body?"

"More dangerous."

"Dad, what could be worse than getting attacked by terrorists?" I demanded rhetorically.

"Sarah, the government know about terrorists. The danger I'm referring to is not known to the world we live in. Summoning protection could throw your saviours into a lot of trouble. You have to know that, if you scream out that word, you'll be sacrificing the people you love the most."

The seriousness in my father's eyes had never made me so nervous.

I sensed his regret for telling me the word I was supposed to scream if I was in dire danger. I still didn't know what kind of danger that certified and I wasn't sure what kind of protection I'd receive from summoning this word. Though, I did know that everything would change if I felt the ultimate urge to scream that word.

My father couldn't express the grave consequence our family would be in if the danger wasn't justified enough for the word. From a young age, I was always sure that I'd never find the need of using such a word when I was so sheltered from the world. Though, now and then, Dad would rehash me on the rules of this word.

Every time, I'd find that similar regret in his eyes, as if saying the word will destroy everything while saving the same. Every time, I'd remind myself of the uselessness of this word. Every time, I'd reassure myself that I would never need to say it.

End of Flashback
31st of December
Sarah-Isabelle Black's POV

15 seconds–

My eyes cast over Joanne and Kallista, who lay limp in the snow. I hoped they were painless in that state, for I envied their unconsciousness. I guessed keeping me awake was another subtle way of torture Imogene had set-out for me.

I should've sensed this from the very beginning. Imogene was the basis of evil, though I'd never thought her capable of this! The look in her wicked eyes was satisfied, yet secretly hungry for more pain to cause.

My screams were silenced by the threat of death to Dusk and Dad, who were allegedly safe in the party, obliviously in the crowd of chanting partygoers. A middle-aged man with brown eyes promised me a slow death for them if I continued to screech for help. I remained quiet now, rigidly following the movements Imogene's guards forced me to make.

"Not long now," I heard Imogene chuckle to the middle-aged psychopath, who seemed perfectly human and incredibly evil. "When midnight strikes, her screams will be muffled by the sound of the fireworks and cheering. No one will expect a thing."

"Excellent," The middle-aged man smiled lifelessly, his intense gaze falling onto my frozen stance, which was placed between two large bodyguards with snarling expressions. "The attacks will begin at midnight, too, I presume?"

Panic ceased my heartbeat and a choked cry threatened to spill from my lips, yet the will to keep my parents alive was stronger and self-control kept me quiet.

"Yes," Imogene responded with a grave expression, as if she wished to stall this particular conversation. "They will. The bodyguards working for us will get their perfect share of juicy guests, I'm sure."

Looking at Imogene in fright, I could feel the word beginning to bubble to my lips.

Tears cascaded from my bloodshot eyes, my vision straining through this severe darkness. Were abduction, blackmail and torture on the agenda for the word? Tonight was becoming the foundation of strange supernatural and the lives which hung on the balance.

"Is the other realm prepared for Saphira's entrance?" The middle-aged man enquired and a frown immediately graced my face.

Saphira? I thought, high on adrenaline. Where have I heard that name? Who is Saphira? Is it a codename?

"They know I plan to transport her with magic. The Children of the Moon are ready. I'll send Saphira's guardian with her as well but I don't think he's aware of the happenings tonight. Father, he may be a threat; I fear he's formed a pet-like attachment to her. And I'm not sure if they want the other royal...as well as the valuable one," Suddenly, Imogene's eyes cast over Kally cautiously and I was knifed with bewilderment. "Do you think the illegitimate matters to them?"

Royals? Illegitimate? Children of the Moon? Saphira? Guardians? Magic?
Nothing was adding up!

The middle-aged man nodded and placed a hand over Imogene's shoulder. "I'm sure the father wishes to see the young one, for he only visits her via dreams. Perhaps, Imogene, it is time to begin the transportation spell? The attacks will begin shortly and we don't want any vampires attracted to the most prized possession."

"Yes," Imogene agreed automatically and her sharp, emerald orbs met my tearstained ones. The evil raised her arm and–almost immediately–her fingertips began to spark with strange, green electricity that glowed in this tense darkness as the fireworks suddenly began bellow.

The word screamed through my thoughts, yelping as loud as the chanting from the New Year's Countdown at the party in the distance. This helpless situation was worthy of the ultimate protection, I realised, no matter how much I sacrificed.

Dusk Malveya's POV
Countdown

5 seconds–

I felt like I'd stepped on a landmine.

The pain that shot through my leg imitated the red, hot sparks that flew through the colourful sky. Bellowing above me, the fireworks crackled as they began to explode and rocket through the heavens at dangerous speeds. My breath hitched as the minor explosion through my backwards, crushing me up against a barren tree-trunk.

Though, as soon as I fell, I only sucked another breath into my aching lungs and pushed myself forward, ignoring the excruciating pain which exploded through my left limb. The tears that blurred my vision made the fireworks glimmer and sparkle like stars in the earth.

The fireworks indicated their presence by momentarily igniting beneath the soil and then blasting through the air. The atmosphere was filled with flaming stars, flying around me as I weaved my way through the outbursts of multicoloured flames. Bombing with such force, I felt the fireworks push me to and fro.

4 seconds–

The question of time still screamed through my head, flashing through my mind as fast as the fireworks. Will I make it in time? I've come so far...and I can feel her close, even her panic and horror is pulsing through my veins. She's so close; my Sarah is nearly in my protective reach. I can nearly hear h-

"Why are you doing this?" The most familiar voice cried from a distance and Sarah's name spills from my lips in relief. My breaths collided with the icy air as I pushed myself harder, feeling my leg giving-way; the throbbing limb unsteadily shook with its obvious fracture.

3 seconds–

Before my chest even thundered another heated heartbeat, my vision latched onto the most horrific scene.

For a split second, I was thrown to a halt as my eyes shot from person to person.

Sarah-Isabelle stood to my far right, cowering between two vampire bodyguards as she stared at Imogene Brooklyn in terror. The Dragon-blood's arms were outstretched as bright green lightning crackled from her fingertips, blending in with the sound of the exploding fireworks.

Henry Carter stood over two unconscious bodies that I recognised as Kallista and Joanne. Seeing the two pale, motionless bodies made my stomach lurch. Henry Carter's head snapped in my direction after a low breath scraped along my lips. I identified the knowing glint in his eyes when I began running towards Sarah. He didn't even make an effort to stop me.

It was as if I were already too late and I've already lost the battle. Maybe I had...

2 seconds–

Imogene's eyes were shut in a meditative manner as a whirlwind of power flows from her outstretched fingers.

The self-control radiating from Imogene was phenomenal as her lips move soundlessly. She seemed lost in another world and I noticed shards of bizarre shadows that scattered along her face. It was as if her powers were bruising her porcelain skin, tainting her beauty as it was released. A bright green energy blazed from her outstretched arms, hissing and lashing out like a vicious snake.

Sarah looked dishevelled, tearstained and washed out with fatigue, but she had never looked more perfect to me. Her heart was beating, pure and strong, and that kept my heart unbroken. I wanted to fall to my knees and thank the Lord for sparing her, though my legs refused to stop running until I was the wall between Imogene's magic and Sarah's life.

1st of January

As I threw myself in front Sarah-Isabelle, the explosion of Imogene's power finally blasted out and knifed me in the back, making the sound of a whipping lightning bolt. My legs wanted to buckle from the impact but I felt Sarah clinging to me, relaxing as soon as I snatched her into my grip. Chaining my body in front of hers, an unlikely word sharply protruded from Sarah's trembling lips. It's a word I immediately recognise, though baffled to hear at this very moment.

Slow-motion consumes every beat of my heart and, as this word tears through Sarah's lips, the most horrendous screeching begins from the party area. They weren't screams of joy or resolution...for the 1st of January, 2021, had finally come to the world. No, these screams were hordes of terrified voices: urgent, pained and petrified. The screams tortured my ears and I was relieved to have covered Sarah's when I finally caught hold of her.

As Imogene's magic crashed into my body, all of my senses disappeared...all except my hearing. Hearing was resilient to the severe force pulsing through my body. The power didn't hurt me in any way, it simply reverberated through my soul and heart and mind–ricocheting through every inch of my being–building up and spurting out of me like some sought of mirror. I didn't know where the magic went after I reflected it off myself with a visible shield of transparent gold.

Though, through all of this blaring force that screamed through my body, my hearing caught onto three syllables that serenaded the sound of screeching cries and pleas for help.

At the top of her lungs, Sarah screamed, "QUILEUTE!"

"QUILEUTE!"

The summoning rattles their bones; it wakes a slumbering animal that is drawn to his Alpha.

Every one of them feels it, echoing through their heads, even as they sit with their families in their human forms.

The summoning is a call for help from one of their own, a calling only the Alpha can make from such a long distance.

Some questioned their instincts as they instantly stood to their feet, drawn to the front door of their homes.

It is the summoning of war – an order to fight beside your brothers and do the necessary.

Even those who no longer held allegiance to the Alpha felt it...

"Tane, what's wrong?" Leah asked as her husband shot up to his feet, his blood beginning to boil as the wolf within his veins howled for battle.

The baby in Tane's arms squealed for her daddy as he placed her into Leah's arms. "Did you feel that, Leah?" Tane murmured in bafflement. "That...tremor, like a mini earthquake or something."

Leah's eyes flashed worry as she cradled her wailing newborn, who obviously missed her father's natural warmth. When Leah stopped phasing to fall pregnant, she lost the heat in her blood and went back to usual temperature. "No...what are you-"

"I did!" Tane's brother-in-law shouted from the kitchen, rushing into the living room, where the family sat celebrating New Year. "Tane, I felt it."

"What was that?" Tane demanded, staring at Seth Clearwater in alarm. Seth's eyes became sharp as he started to inch towards the front door, his shape-shifting brother-in-law following without hesitance.

Far and wide, the summoning screamed for them to follow – to fight for the innocent.

"Embry, where are you going?" Angela demanded as her husband dashed downstairs after leaving the dishes in the sink and sprinted out front door.

"Someone's in trouble, Ang...I-I need to go! Give the kids a kiss for New Year from me, alight?" Before Angela could even respond, Embry shed his best clothes as he phased and began galloping West with Quil Ateara instinctively on his tail.

The ones who no longer shape-shifted felt it, also, and the monster they'd been burying for so long suddenly surfaced to their skin without any expectation.

No confusion or hesitation went through the three former werewolves–Sam, Jared and Paul–for the feeling to protect beat strongest in them.

"Oh my God, Sam!" Emily screamed in astonishment, dropping their wineglasses and ignoring the smash as a giant wolf unexpectedly engulfed half of their living room. Emily stood with wide-eyes, gaping at her tattered lounge. The wolf gazed at his wife apologetically before he broke down the wall with his ragged claw and leapt into the yard, skidding into the forest. "Does insurance cover this kinda stuff?" Emily murmured to herself.

They followed the pathway back to Jacob, who also felt the abrupt tremor and was shot with adrenaline from the calling.

"Sarah?" Jacob's edgy voice startled Benjamin and Anastasia, who were lugging his unconscious frame back to BlackSwan.

"Sir?" Ben gasped as Jacob suddenly shot up to his feet.

"Sarah used it. She used the summoning. I can't believe it worked!" A sense of pride flowed through Jacob, for his daughter truly held a piece of the Alpha's commandments. Jacob knew that no other shape-shifter could summon a Pack so forcefully that a man would be brought out of unconsciousness!

Though, the rush of delight was crushed by the strong scent of blood. The wolf's senses directly kicked in and, though unsteady from the tough blow he couldn't remember, Jacob still foretold the cry of battle on the horizon. "Ben, take shelter with your friend now," Motioning towards BlackSwan, Jacob vigilantly began walking up the path to the party without delay.

Ben looked at Anastasia intently, for they could both hear the horrendous screams in the distance. As the pair scurried away from the terrible scene, Jacob ran straight into a literal bloodbath. All around him, vampires were attacking human guests, who screamed and fled and failed. With their necks forcefully exposed, bloodshed surrounded him and Jacob heard every drop of blood that smeared along the ground.

How...how had he missed this? He should've sensed them all!

The shaking and trembling began as he helplessly gaped in horror. Before he could even think, a large wolf leapt into the place of Jacob Black – teeth bared, eyes honed, claws sharp, tail thrashing, mind swarming.

In his head, every single shape-shifter's thoughts were connected.

Whether in Jacob's Pack or not, every soul was bound by the storm running through their veins.

Advancing Colorado in a speed unimaginable, they glided along the shadows like the spirits they were.

PLEASE NOTE: This chapter will have a part two chapter with a longer length. If I tried to stick them together, you'd have to read a seventeen-paged chapter. This is seven pages and the next ten will be in The Storm Before Duskpt2. I hope it was exciting and the suspense is bubbling as questions are surfacing.

SHOUT-OUT!

sindhura

Lizzie/ 96

tweetychic08

nene82743

Emily Rush

Huntress of the sky

Peggy - DawnYew2674