Ooooh, buddy…here we go…
CHP 36 ALICE
Three dozen eggs proved to be less than enough, but Emily's food supply was completely wiped out, so meal time was officially over.
All the boys were in from patrol – Sam had given everyone three hours a leeway. Even Quil and Jared were too tired to jet off to Kim or Clair. Everyone was crashed sporadically all over the house. Jared was still sitting – sort of – at the cleared off table, arms folded as a pillow in front of him. His shoulders would twitch every so often, but we were pretty sure he was out. Sam was in the large chair and Embry and Quil had managed a system to get both their massive bodies on opposing ends of the couch. Paul somehow managed to convince Seth to give up the pillow he was sitting on while playing his game, and he turned the narrow space between the couch and coffee table into a bedroom. Jacob was leaning his head up against the foot of the couch, head nodding down to his chest every few seconds.
This was the quiet after the storm – breakfast being the absolute tornado-hurricane-tsunami that it always is. Emily went up to her room to rest, and I plopped down on the floor besides Jacob's sleeping body, cuddling up against his warm side. Listening to the deep, gentle breathing of seven brothers and the clicking of Seth's controller lulled me into a light sleep. I wish I could've known at that moment that that was the last calm moment I'd have for days.
A sweet, flowery scent hit my nose at the same time it hit Jacob's. There was no restoring the chaos after that.
My eyes flew open, towards the open back door, and landed on Alice's tiny figure.
"ALICE!" I screamed, but my next words were drowned in chaos.
As I screamed, Jacob lunged, grabbing her around the neck and flew – bodies crashing into one another – outside. I scrambled to my feet to follow them, but I screamed again when Paul shifted – uncontrollably – to my right. His body took up an enormous amount of space. Emily's house could barely hold him. Head thrashing back and forth, a lamp near the couch fell to the floor and shattered. Outside, Jacob was yelling. Ballistic. I'd never heard his voice louder.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME HERE! I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!"
"I couldn't wait!" Alice's voice rang. "Victoria!"
My head and my heart flew in a hundred different directions. Why is Alice here? How did Jacob know she was here? How does she know about Victoria? Was Victoria coming here?
I took a step towards the back door, and Embry pulled me back. His face was set, his normal friendly disposition vanished. "No." he said.
"Let go, Embry!" I yelled, pulling away from him. His grip tightened.
"Victoria's army is coming. NOW!" I heard Alice yell. "I couldn't wait-"
"Let me talk to her!" I screamed frantically, fighting him. "Let me speak to her!"
"No. Come on." He started pulling me towards the front of the house. Away from Jacob. Away from Alice.
"What army? Are the rest of them here?" I yelled, still pulling as he dragged me away. "ANSWER ME!"
"PAUL!" Sam was yelling at Paul's thrashing body. "Calm down! Quit moving!"
Jared was cursing a hundred times over, ripping off his clothes as he jumped over the chair and around Paul to the backyard where Jacob and Alice were having a physical screaming match. He phased, jumping over their heads, and raced into the forest.
Paul was still uncontrollable. Sam realized he was going to have to take control by forceful order and starting unbuttoning the buttons down the front of his shirt.
Seth ran past us calling for Emily. "Emily!" he called, slinging himself up the stairs by the railing and taking them two at a time. He met her at the top of the stairs with a knowing look. "They're here."
"Who's here?" I shrieked. "Who else?"
Seth looked at me, face full of worry, and said simply, "Sorry." He, too, ran past me, captive in Embry's arms, and shifted as he left the back of the house.
Quil, dodging Sam and cussing at Paul to keep it together, threw himself across the room and into the hall closet I miraculously hadn't noticed before now, pulling out two bags that were full and looked heavy.
"EMILY!" Sam called, almost completely stripped down. Paul still couldn't get his bearings. Shifting involuntarily, it seemed, ripped your body to shreds even more than normal. The chair he'd been sitting by was ripped to pieces, and shards of glass from the broken lamp were slicing their way into the bottoms of his feet. "Go to Billy's! Wait with the council there. Don't come back here until I come and get you." He ordered. She nodded, took the smaller of the bags from Quil, who was undressing beside them, and made her way quickly for the front door.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" I screamed, still fighting Embry's hold on me. He'd locked his arms around me in an almost-embrace, muscles flexing against my attempts at escape. Jacob's voice resonated from outside. "EMILY! SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING!"
Sam jumped over the couch, reaching inhuman speed as he grabbed Emily by the arm and turned her around, grabbing her face with both hands and planting a meaningful kiss on her lips. It was passionate and urgent. Letting her go, he said, "Be safe," before turning again shifting. Paul stumbled, and followed him into the woods.
Quil snatched the second bag from the ground and shoved it into one of my hands, folding my fingers around its worn handle. "It'll be fine, Bella. We're ready."
"TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" I cried. He turned and I saw his body rip down its spine as he shifted into a protector.
"Shoot." Embry cussed. Arms wrapped around me, I could feel his body start to shake and shiver. His grip tightened around me, and I couldn't breathe. "Sh-"
His arms flew open, releasing me, and before I could catch my breath or regain my balance, the palms of his hands hit me, hard, between my shoulder blades. I flew across the room, skidding into the base of the couch across the room. Turning over to look behind me – I saw his terrified face and his trembling body before it morphed against his will.
His cries of pain, though filtered and changed into a new sound through his new body, pierced my ears and made me cringe. Pain, physical pain, controlled his features and he began thrashing just as Paul had done. His feet scraped at the wooden floor below him, leaving trails of splinters and carved indentions.
Jacob dove around the couch and curled his body over mine, protecting me from the Embry that had changed before me into something dangerous and deadly, effected to the core by inconsolable pain. Embry found his way, stumbling still, out the front of Emily's house and into the trees.
"Come on," said Jacob as soon as he was gone. "We have to go."
"Go where? What's happening?"
"I can't tell you now. I don't have tim-"
"TELL ME what's HAPPENING!" I bawled.
He didn't wait for my compliance, and I was silly to think for even a second that he would need to. He scooped me up off the floor and cradled me in his arms, leaning over only for a moment to grab the bag Quil had given me. They had prepared for this. They had a plan. Jacob knew the plan. Emily knew the plan. Everyone knew the plan but me.
Jacob ran as fast as he could with me in his arms down Emily's front steps. I thought we were heading for my truck, but he veered straight past it and into the trees across the road. I squirmed in his arms, hot tears stinging my eyes.
"Quit moving," he ordered in a stern voice that wasn't his own. He was in pack mode now, full on, and following orders. "Victoria's here." He said, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "She's after you. You know she's after you. She knows you'll be in Forks or La Push. You're not safe here."
"Put me down!" I ordered.
"Be quiet, Bella." I was stung by his attitude. "You squirm and I drop you. I have to carry you. It covers your scent."
"My scent?" I scoffed.
"Victoria will pick it up if it's not covered by mine. She'll pick up my trail and leave it alone. We've tested everything. We've worked it all out," he assured himself. "This plan will work."
"What army?" I asked as trees and ferns raced past me. "Who's here, Jacob?"
"Newborns." He said, glancing down at me for the first time. "Victoria made an army of vampires to help her get to you."
If Jacob hadn't been carrying me, I would have collapse. The truth knocked the wind was knocked out of me. "An army," I repeated. Jacob nodded.
"Why is Alice here? Why didn't you tell me Alice was here? You knew! You knew everything!"
"Yes," he said flatly. "I did know."
"Is-"
"No. He's not." he stated firmly. His eyes were unreadable.
We were silent. I'd never been so confused, so afraid, so hurt all at one time.
I don't know how long Jacob had run. I had no way to measure it – no clock, no sun through the thick trees, no measure of exhaustion.
"Where are we going," I asked.
"Away. North." He said, not taking his gaze off the trees before him as they whipped past us.
"I hate you," I muttered childishly. For keeping me in the dark, for not telling me, for dragging me through the forest against my will. I hated all of it.
Finally, emotion trickled through his face. Hurt, for a second, and then defiance. "No, you don't."
"Yeah, I do." I insisted, crossing my arms across my chest.
He glanced down at me again, brow furrowed. "You still wearing that bracelet?"
I looked at him in disbelief. "Yes."
"Then we're fine."
"What? Jacob, just tell me wh-"
"No, Bella. Stop asking questions, okay? I'll explain everything eventually. I'm sorry, okay? But right now you just have to let me handle this. Trust me. Please. And hush so I can listen."
For a moment, he stopped. Looking up at the sky and closing his eyes, his entire body was still. I tried not to breathe. He took a sharp right and began to sprint, if possible, faster than before. I closed my eyes and turned against his chest, shielding my face from the cold wind slapping my fair skin. I breathed through my mouth, shying away from the hint of flowery scent I could smell that lingered on his skin.
Miraculously, I managed to doze off, because the next thing I knew, Jake was shaking me awake. "Wake up, we're here." He put me down on my feet, took the bag and threw it against some rocks, dropping to his knees beside it as I took a look around. He'd run us all the way to the top of a mountain. Melting ice and slushy snow covered the pines and dirt floor. The sky was a deep grey. It was late afternoon. It wouldn't be long until dusk. Jacob was shirtless, as always, but I was freezing and starting to shiver without his body heat to keep me warm.
As I turned, a heavy jacket hit me in the face and I managed to catch it with fumbling fingers. "Put it on," he ordered, not looking at me. "It's gonna storm."
I was still angry, but I didn't object. Getting frost bite wouldn't help either one of us at this point.
A tiny tent meant for one had been crammed into the bag. Jacob went about setting it up skillfully, and I pulled my phone from my back pocket. No service. Billy was sure to tell Charlie I was with Emily. He and the council would know, I'm sure. Because everyone knew everything but me.
I found a small rock and sat down it, facing the nearby cliff. The moss wasn't much of a cushion.
"I'm gonna check on things real fast. Don't go anywhere." Yes, sir.
I heard the few footsteps he took towards the trees and heard the familiar ripping of flesh. I sighed.
"You still mad?" Jake asked, sitting down next to me. I elected not to answer. "It was for your own good, Bells. Honest." Silence. He sighed. "He never came back. He's not coming back." Again, silence.
"Will you at least listen?" I didn't answer. He took a deep breath and started talking. "Alice tried to get to you but I told her to stay away. They warned us of the army and offered to help. We were down Leah, Jared and Seth when they first told us and we were in no shape to refuse help. We've been training in the forest with them for months. Carlisle has been keeping tabs on Emily's pregnancy whenever Sam will let him near her – which hasn't been often. Sam gag ordered everyone about the Cullens except for me. I was going to tell you. I promise. If Alice hadn't barged in today like she did… I'm sorry, Bella. Really. And I know I'm rambling now. We just wanted to keep you safe and keep you away from the fight. We're far away now – almost out of range for me to see what's going on. We pushed it to the very edge so that you'd be as safe as possible. Emily agreed not to say anything, but she wanted us to tell you. Don't be mad at her. Everyone is acting on orders – Sam and my own. If you're gonna be mad, only be mad at me, I'll take the fall. I thought this would be best. I really honestly thought so, Bella."
I still didn't answer. Jake rubbed his hands together, ran them through his shorn hair, over his neck and back together again. He looked at me, took a deep breath and picked himself up off the earthen floor. "There are some clothes in the bag, some water, food and a toothbrush. It's all in the stupid tent." And he walked away.
I sat there for a long time, thinking and shivering. What would I have done if I had know the Cullens were back? Marched into the forest and greeted them with hugs? He wasn't even coming back. He hadn't been back in over a year. Am I still so broken that he felt he had to hide all this from me? Even if he thought it was in my best interest. Was he afraid I'd still choose the other option, if Edward were here?
The sun was setting. I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see Jacob, and couldn't find him. I picked myself up and brushed the dirt off my jeans and strode towards the small tent.
"Jacob?" I called.
"Over here," he called back. I looked to my left to see him sitting just within the trees with his back towards me, his head in his hands. "So much is going on," he said when I came within earshot. "It hurts to stay phased for long – it give me a headache. Sam's giving orders I'm not close enough to follow, using the pack plural. My body and my mind want to do too different things." He grimaced. "Let me check back real fast."
He stood up and took a few steps away from me and looked back. "Can you handle this?" he asked warily. I nodded.
He turned where he was – maybe three yards from me – and stared me straight in the eye while he phased. Almost in slow motion his whole body came apart, the seams ripped, his flesh multiplied itself and tripled in size and mass. The gentle face I knew became the face of a beast Id come to recognize. I shivered, only partly from the chilly air.
I'd never been this close to Jake before in this state. I reached out to touch him, and he took a step back and whined, closing his eyes. The muscles of his body were tensing and flexing in the rhythm of running and I knew he was fighting his instincts to follow orders that weren't relevant to where he was. It was hard for him not to be fighting alongside his brothers.
Wolf-Jake huffed, his hot breath forming a cloud of vapor in the air, before becoming still and shrinking back into the Jake I knew and loved.
"Leah's back," he said, standing before me, stunned.
"Leah?" I said, stepping forward. "But-"
"She rejoined the pack," he said, his eyes seeing something I couldn't as he looked past me into the trees beyond. "She's under Sam's orders again, fighting alongside us."
"That's good, right?" I asked. He looked worried.
"It's one more for our side," he said, "But she hasn't been training with us. She won't know how to fight, what to look out for. She's in a lot of danger."
"Leah can handle herself," I assured him.
*JACOB POV*
I nodded. She's gonna have to, I thought. There's no way we can babysit her and fight at the same time. I stopped myself. Pack plural didn't apply right now. Stay focused. My job is here. Protect Bella and keep her away from the fight. My brothers are skilled enough to handle it.
I shifted back again to watch the fight.
Sam was barking orders left and right, watching everyone, doing everything he could to guide each pack member individually. Easier said than done… Seth, watch on your right. Paul, NO, that's Rosalie. Yes, I'm positive. Sh- Leah, be more careful. If they get their arms around you they'll kill you.
I could hear Quil talking to Embry. They'd been brothers so long – even before the pack – that their tag team ability was unmatched. Quil up the middle, Embry on the right. Strike. SCORE. One down. The muscles in my shoulders and legs flexed as I watched through the eyes of my brothers.
Interspersed among the wolves were the Cullens. I could see flashes of them through Sam's eyes. Emmett tossing a newborn against a tree. Jasper pulling off heads of red-eyed vampires. Alice, twirling around like a deathly ballerina, ready to kill. Even Esme, the gentlest, getting into the action. Reluctantly I admitted we were lucky to have them. No sign of Victoria as of yet. No doubt she was waiting for her army to twindle our numbers before making an appearance. She wouldn't have imagined our forces: seven fighting wolves and six fighting vampires. Surely we'd be unbeatable.
One of the newborns got a good hold on Jared's neck and I flinched. Be careful, man. This is serious. But I was too far away for them to hear my thoughts clearly. Gah, this was so painful. I should be there.
I shifted out, unable to take sitting on the sidelines effectively. It made me anxious and uptight.
I had no realistic way to gauge how cold it was outside. Even standing here naked, it could be snowing and I wouldn't notice. Bella on the other hand, was shivering even in the coat I'd given her. The sun was starting to set behind the trees. It was hard work shifting back and forth – harder, I would argue, than fighting an army of vampires. Marginally less fun, without a doubt. I was exhausted.
"Why don't we just go to sleep," I suggested, stepping back into my shorts and taking a step towards Bella.
She nodded, and we made our way back out of the trees.
Guess what chapter is next! :D