"I was about to ask you the same thing, dammit." I whispered back. His expression was piercing.
We stood there in silence for a moment. His breathing was quick and furious and I noticed he was shaking almost violently, he waited for himself to calm down, only a fraction. Then he shut his eyes tight for a long second and breathed. I'd never seen someone concentrate so hard.
"So?" I raised my eyebrows.
He still wasn't ready. I thought I would use the time to perch myself on a cardboard storage box behind me. I was worried now and I would ask 'are you okay?', but I was still miffed at being shoved into this damp little closet.
"Jake." I asked.
He opened his eyes and tried to avoid my gaze. His eyebrows gave the impression that he was debating with something that was really irritating him now.
"Everyone, is putting you in danger." He breathed harshly. "Especially yourself."
"What are you getting at?" My voice wavered a little.
"Where were you yesterday, Cay?"
"Um, at home?" I paused. "I mean… when I'm not feeling well, I like to stay in bed." I rolled my eyes.
"Or, I dunno, a forest floor." He dead-panned, eyes still irate.
My heart stopped.
"What do you even mean? Is there something I'm missing?" My mind was now racing, along with my heart. What did he know? How? So dangerous.
"Yes, there is a lot you are missing, as a matter of fact." He mumbled so low, I almost questioned if I had even heard him at all. "Look, you're the only one in Forks with hair like that." He clenched his jaw, wrathful.
"Okay, now I am quite confused (perhaps even offended), as a matter of fact." I tried to keep my voice level, but I couldn't tell if I had given myself away.
"It's not funny." He sighed in frustration, though his eyes seemed to soften on me. "And y'know, I wish I could believe you. But you can't hide your panic very well. Usually, it's hilarious, but now it's just confirming…" He trailed off.
"What? What is it confirming, dammit? I wish people would stop leaving me in the dark, did they ever think, maybe that is 'putting me in danger'?"
"His vision, and that flash - of blue, and your… your smile." He was muttering again, and looking so alarmingly absent. I had no idea his voice could be so reduced. None of this was making sense, frighteningly.
"What's gotten into you? You hardly speak anymore - and when you do, you don't make any sense. And you… you've just changed." I looked up at him. I hadn't taken much notice before at the fact that the top of his head touched the small light bulb. "And jeez, when did you get so tall, Jake?"
He sighed through his nose and opened his eyes to look at me. I was surprised to find myself a little startled at his sudden focus, after all of his confused mumbling.
"Look, I really, don't wanna believe it was you he was with, when… but it just all adds up and I can't ignore it. Plus, the Cullens, they're hiding more from me these days, and you know about how we aren't the most comfortable with each other usually anyway. Cayla, there are reasons for things, I know you know some of it, and you aren't crazy. There are just reasons I can't tell you everything, no matter how much I might want to."
"Well, what about Ange?"
"It just makes me so mad, how she is so great with not knowing anything. And she knows there is something going on but she is just so trusting that I would never put her in danger. And I won't."
I sighed "I know, Jacob." He half-smiled unwillingly.
After a moment, he breathed in exasperation. "What am I gonna do with you?"
I rolled my eyes. "Look, I keep out of trouble."
He rolled his eyes "hardly." Then he looked steadily at me, "no more forests Cayla. Please."
"Whatever you want," I shrugged. "But just know, I'm going to find out, about all of this, and part of that starts now..." I patted his shoulder and got off the cardboard box I was perching on, then I opened the door of the janitor's closet, checked the coast was clear, then popped my head back into the closet to leave him one last comment "... oh, and you never told me you had another cousin." Then I took my leave. I could feel him raising his eyebrows at the back of my head.
