p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"The next morning I woke up to a very bright light that was sparkling annoyingly into my eyes. I stirred slightly and looked around. I was in Jake's bedroom on the bed that was in the backroom when I had fallen asleep. My feet hung over the side of the bed; I was about to slide onto the floor when I felt someone's hot breath on the bottom of my foot./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Quickly I stared at the floor in a panic my feet flying back onto the bed. My gaze softened when I saw Jacob sprawled across the little floor that the bed leftover. I sighed deeply- wishing he had just moved me to the couch and slept on his own bed./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Again, I thanked my super wolf strength when I lifted Jacob off the floor and gently onto his bed. He shifted his weight and opened his eyes to stare into mine./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Sorry, did I wake you up?" I whispered to him. The drowsiness left eyes immediately and he stared around the room. He smacked his palm to his forehead./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Oh, man!" he wailed, "Did I fall asleep on you?" He groaned./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You haven't slept in forever, Jake you needed some rest! I'm fine! See? I'm alive!" I said doing a small 180 twist and back. Jacob's eyes searched me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine." He gave up, finding nothing wrong. "But any pain at all and you'll be back in bed. I don't want you straining yourself!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Ok, ok!" I laughed, "but there's something that I've been dying to do ever since I woke up yesterday…"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I tore out of the house, running at full speed towards the denser woods. Once I was covered by a sea of pine I looked behind me, making sure Jacob wasn't there. When I was positive he wasn't coming I slipped off my clothes and dived into mid-air, morphing halfway to the ground./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I breathed in a lungful of fresh air and began to run again./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella! /emEmbry gasped Thought I'd never see you in wolf form again!/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I rolled my eyes. emI missed you too./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella, are you feeling all right now? /emSam inquired gently./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emGood as I'll ever be. Any sign of Victoria?/em I asked my thoughts flashing through my dream two nights ago. I could feel that stab in my back as if it had really happened./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHey!/em Quil called, joining us. emI did /emnot emneed to feel that! /emHe groaned. emI would say keep your thoughts to yourself but I know that won't happen. Can you at least /emnot emstab me in the back?/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI didn't think of it on purpose! Do you think I like remembering?/em I snapped at him, emSam! Any trace of the leach?/em I asked a little more harshly than necessary./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emNo Bella. Even if there were you wouldn't be coming with us to find her./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Rage filled me up fast. emWhy? Because I'm a girl?/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"It wasn't Sam's voice that replied. emBecause I don't want you to get hurt. /emJacob murmured sadly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"My thoughts softened considerably. emEveryone gets hurt, Jake./em I told him soothingly- wanting him to be anything but sad. I emdon't want /emyou emto get hurt! I /emlove emyou! /emInfatuation clouded any further thoughts. I ran to Jacob and playfully tackled him to the ground, licking his mouth lightly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emEw! /emEmbry thought, annoyed. emGet a room or phase back or /emSOMETHING! He wailed, then muttered, emcan't stand being around imprinted people…/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emOh, come on, /embig brotherem! I haven't phased in ages and now I'm not allowed to? Not even you're that mean! /emI whined tackling him to the ground with me. I pinned him down without much effort./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Embry pouted, emI wasn't ready. /emSuch a stupid excuse./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emIt's not an excuse it's true! /emLittle sister!/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emEmbry shut up. /emSam thought urgently/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emWhy? She started it! I wasn't ready for her!/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emEmbry SHUT UP! /emSam thought with the alpha's voice/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Embry drew back at the harshness in Sam's thoughts. Everyone was quiet for a few moments./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emDo you hear that?/em Sam whispered as if whatever he heard would be scared away by his thoughts. None of us needed to reply, Sam could feel the question in the mood./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI thought I heard- /emhe began to say. The rest of his thoughts were cut off as he tried to let us hear what he heard from his memory. The memory sounded like a broken scratchy disk but still audible./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"The second I heard that noise I knew why Sam had been so fierce. I knew why he was so tense and emafraid./em The second I heard that noise I was afraid too. I was more than afraid. I was emterrified./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"The noise was indescribable but everyone seemed to know what it was. It wasn't just the noise, however, it was the scent that went along with it. That scent that we all knew too well./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emIt's only Carlisle, it's only Carlisle/em, I thought desperately to myself. emIt's Carlisle or Esme or Edward…/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emNo. /emQuil's choked voice murmured. emIt's…it's…/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"With a deafening crack, the trees behind us fell revealing a figure. The figure had long flowing hair and a cat-like stance. Its eyes were a glowing ruby red./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Without warning, she ran to us with invisible speed. Jacob kicked me back and protected the spot where I stood. Why was she here? Why was she here now?/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Terror filled me incredibly fast as I tried to remember what I had vowed to do last night. My eyes locked onto the ravenous killer and immediately I knew what I had to do./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emVictoria is mine. /emI growled to the rest of Sam dont touch her. /emI commanded./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella. No. Go home and phase back /emnowem, h/eme demanded as the alpha./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Blinded by fury I tore back home. When I was in the woods closest to Jacob's house where I had left my clothes I tried to phase back to human- I honestly did. But nothing would happen. Nothing at all. I took deliberate deep breaths in and out but no matter how hard I concentrated my white fur would not recede./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I could hear every thought the boys had and apparently once I left so did Victoria. She was looking for me. Jacob took off running for her, desperate for her not to find me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emJacob, please! /emI pleaded with him,em please leave her alone don't be reckless we'll wait it out she'll go away and come back later! My e/emyes strained to see what he was seeing and when I did I was horrified./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob wasn't on our side of the border. Jacob wasn't on our territory. Jacob was officially on Cullen land. I gasped. He was right by the side of a cliff, water rushing madly at the bottom. I had never been there before but I could tell that if Jacob made one wrong move he'd be dead meat./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emJacob, you turn around right now or I'll- /emthen I happened./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Victoria went for him. "Stupid, stupid wolf," she whispered crushing him away from her with one blow. Jacob's wolf body tumbled over the side of the cliff and smashed into the raging waters. Then all of Jacob's sights faded away into dark, black nothingness./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Quickly I stared at the floor in a panic my feet flying back onto the bed. My gaze softened when I saw Jacob sprawled across the little floor that the bed leftover. I sighed deeply- wishing he had just moved me to the couch and slept on his own bed./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Again, I thanked my super wolf strength when I lifted Jacob off the floor and gently onto his bed. He shifted his weight and opened his eyes to stare into mine./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Sorry, did I wake you up?" I whispered to him. The drowsiness left eyes immediately and he stared around the room. He smacked his palm to his forehead./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Oh, man!" he wailed, "Did I fall asleep on you?" He groaned./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You haven't slept in forever, Jake you needed some rest! I'm fine! See? I'm alive!" I said doing a small 180 twist and back. Jacob's eyes searched me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine." He gave up, finding nothing wrong. "But any pain at all and you'll be back in bed. I don't want you straining yourself!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Ok, ok!" I laughed, "but there's something that I've been dying to do ever since I woke up yesterday…"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I tore out of the house, running at full speed towards the denser woods. Once I was covered by a sea of pine I looked behind me, making sure Jacob wasn't there. When I was positive he wasn't coming I slipped off my clothes and dived into mid-air, morphing halfway to the ground./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I breathed in a lungful of fresh air and began to run again./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella! /emEmbry gasped Thought I'd never see you in wolf form again!/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I rolled my eyes. emI missed you too./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella, are you feeling all right now? /emSam inquired gently./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emGood as I'll ever be. Any sign of Victoria?/em I asked my thoughts flashing through my dream two nights ago. I could feel that stab in my back as if it had really happened./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHey!/em Quil called, joining us. emI did /emnot emneed to feel that! /emHe groaned. emI would say keep your thoughts to yourself but I know that won't happen. Can you at least /emnot emstab me in the back?/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI didn't think of it on purpose! Do you think I like remembering?/em I snapped at him, emSam! Any trace of the leach?/em I asked a little more harshly than necessary./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emNo Bella. Even if there were you wouldn't be coming with us to find her./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Rage filled me up fast. emWhy? Because I'm a girl?/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"It wasn't Sam's voice that replied. emBecause I don't want you to get hurt. /emJacob murmured sadly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"My thoughts softened considerably. emEveryone gets hurt, Jake./em I told him soothingly- wanting him to be anything but sad. I emdon't want /emyou emto get hurt! I /emlove emyou! /emInfatuation clouded any further thoughts. I ran to Jacob and playfully tackled him to the ground, licking his mouth lightly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emEw! /emEmbry thought, annoyed. emGet a room or phase back or /emSOMETHING! He wailed, then muttered, emcan't stand being around imprinted people…/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emOh, come on, /embig brotherem! I haven't phased in ages and now I'm not allowed to? Not even you're that mean! /emI whined tackling him to the ground with me. I pinned him down without much effort./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Embry pouted, emI wasn't ready. /emSuch a stupid excuse./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emIt's not an excuse it's true! /emLittle sister!/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emEmbry shut up. /emSam thought urgently/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emWhy? She started it! I wasn't ready for her!/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emEmbry SHUT UP! /emSam thought with the alpha's voice/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Embry drew back at the harshness in Sam's thoughts. Everyone was quiet for a few moments./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emDo you hear that?/em Sam whispered as if whatever he heard would be scared away by his thoughts. None of us needed to reply, Sam could feel the question in the mood./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI thought I heard- /emhe began to say. The rest of his thoughts were cut off as he tried to let us hear what he heard from his memory. The memory sounded like a broken scratchy disk but still audible./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"The second I heard that noise I knew why Sam had been so fierce. I knew why he was so tense and emafraid./em The second I heard that noise I was afraid too. I was more than afraid. I was emterrified./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"The noise was indescribable but everyone seemed to know what it was. It wasn't just the noise, however, it was the scent that went along with it. That scent that we all knew too well./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emIt's only Carlisle, it's only Carlisle/em, I thought desperately to myself. emIt's Carlisle or Esme or Edward…/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emNo. /emQuil's choked voice murmured. emIt's…it's…/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"With a deafening crack, the trees behind us fell revealing a figure. The figure had long flowing hair and a cat-like stance. Its eyes were a glowing ruby red./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Without warning, she ran to us with invisible speed. Jacob kicked me back and protected the spot where I stood. Why was she here? Why was she here now?/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Terror filled me incredibly fast as I tried to remember what I had vowed to do last night. My eyes locked onto the ravenous killer and immediately I knew what I had to do./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emVictoria is mine. /emI growled to the rest of Sam dont touch her. /emI commanded./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella. No. Go home and phase back /emnowem, h/eme demanded as the alpha./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Blinded by fury I tore back home. When I was in the woods closest to Jacob's house where I had left my clothes I tried to phase back to human- I honestly did. But nothing would happen. Nothing at all. I took deliberate deep breaths in and out but no matter how hard I concentrated my white fur would not recede./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I could hear every thought the boys had and apparently once I left so did Victoria. She was looking for me. Jacob took off running for her, desperate for her not to find me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emJacob, please! /emI pleaded with him,em please leave her alone don't be reckless we'll wait it out she'll go away and come back later! My e/emyes strained to see what he was seeing and when I did I was horrified./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob wasn't on our side of the border. Jacob wasn't on our territory. Jacob was officially on Cullen land. I gasped. He was right by the side of a cliff, water rushing madly at the bottom. I had never been there before but I could tell that if Jacob made one wrong move he'd be dead meat./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emJacob, you turn around right now or I'll- /emthen I happened./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Victoria went for him. "Stupid, stupid wolf," she whispered crushing him away from her with one blow. Jacob's wolf body tumbled over the side of the cliff and smashed into the raging waters. Then all of Jacob's sights faded away into dark, black nothingness./p