Title: The Best Of Times: Trailing for Hope
Chapter 36: Out Of The Blue, or A Terrifying Ordeal
Rating: T, for language I guess. If the rating changes, you'll be the second to know.
Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of Twilight and all its proceedings, they continue to belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Summary: Ava Swan never expected to move to Forks, Washington, permanently. Then again, she never expected to be imprinted on by a hot-headed shape-shifter either. ...No Bella, or Edward-bashing. Follows storyline from "New Moon". Despite my attempts to write a believable Paul/OC fic, there's no way I can make this sound original, ever.
Notes: I apologize for any grammatical errors, as my eyelid is twitching and it's a combination of stress, fatigue, and caffeine. That rhymed, hah.
P.S. If I missed something grammatical or something doesn't make sense, please PM me and let me know!
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! :)
9:22 PM. Swan House.
"You look pretty." Ava smiled, looking over Bella's willowy – though, tense – frame.
Bella smiled sheepishly in response, tugging at her sleeves; Alice had managed to convince her into a dress for her party and she felt strange in the fabric she was draped in. Ava had changed from the dress from the ceremony and instead had something on that was much more comfortable.
"You too," Bella returned the sentiment.
"Let's hit the road," Ava suggested, straightening up off her doorway. "Alice said we have to be there at 8:00 and we're kinda, already, really late."
"Last thing we need is an angry Alice." Bella chuckled softly, grabbing a small handbag. "Am I driving, or…?"
"I'll drive," Ava offered, a small smirk gracing her lips. "After all, you look way too pretty to be driving."
"Shut up." Bella scoffed, an unwitting, embarrassed smile on her face. "If I don't wear this then Alice really will be angry." She eyed her cousin suspiciously. "Didn't she give you a dress too?"
Ava hummed, a sly smile replacing her smirk. "Maybe."
"Ava." Bella shifted uncomfortably in her dress. "Just put it on."
"Bella," Ava mimicked. "Don't tell me what to do."
She only continued grimacing and Ava laughed. "I already wore it for the graduation. She won't care if I'm not wearing it for her party."
"Then I'm changing," Bella resolved, about to turn around and go back into her room. Ava quickly grabbed her elbow and tried going down the stairs. "No time! We gotta go!"
9:44 PM. Cullen House.
Bella hadn't stopped grousing about her attire the entire drive to the Cullens. When they arrived at the large house, it seemed like the party was already in full swing; there were people filing in and out and their front lawn was littered with newly-graduated teens.
Finding parking was another dilemma. "There's no room," Ava mumbled, scanning her eyes; not finding an open spot was beginning to stress her out and she had half-a-mind to just park all the way in Port Angeles.
"Park in the back," Bella suggested, pointing to an ornate gate off to the side.
"I just spent ten minutes looking for parking, Bella," Ava said dryly, shooting her an irked expression and turning her wheel towards the small driveway.
Bella only gave her a small smile, unbuckling her seatbelt and walking towards the locked gate. After punching in who-knows-what, the black-metaled gate swung open slowly and Ava pulled in. The back was obviously completely empty, and Ava sighed happily, pulling her car into an empty space on the concrete driveway.
"Revenge for not letting me change," Bella voiced, tugging lightly at the hem of her dress pointedly.
"Nice." Ava wiped the smile off and glared lightly back at her. "But I'm not the one in the dress, so who's the real winner here?"
Stepping a foot into the party, immediately the two girls were bombarded with the tornado that is Jessica Stanley. Angela was in tow and had on a bright smile as she greeted both girls.
"You guys made it!" Angela exclaimed happily, pulling Ava into a tight hug. She did the same with Bella before Jessica followed her actions and pounced immediately, "hey! What did you think about my speech?"
"I think," Ava started, a teasing tone to her voice. "That I heard it half a million times. It was great, Jess, really."
She clicked her tongue, unsure. "Are you sure? Not too easy-breezy? Too self-helpful?"
Bella shook her head, breathing out, "no, I think you pretty much nailed it."
"Yeah?" Jessica's wide smile spread across and she nodded vehemently. "It's like I was born to lead, right?"
Angela burst in, her eyes shining brilliantly. "I love this song!" She yelled excitedly, tugging Jessica's arm. "Let's go!"
There was only an expression of horror that swept across Ava's face before she felt Jessica's fingers dig into her elbow. Ava tried yanking her hand off, but Jessica was undeterred. In a fit of panic as she felt herself being dragged towards the dance floor, Ava reached for Bella. Unfortunately, Bella foresaw her actions and she reeled back, Ava grasping at empty air desperately.
Bella only gave her an unapologetic smile and waved weakly from the side as she was dragged off.
Ava didn't dance. That much had always been evident; she always managed to be slightly off beat and tried too hard to keep up with everyone else. And if anyone saw her tonight, they'd completely agree. Being surrounded by everyone continuously bumping into her, Ava tried to look as normal as possible.
As soon as she saw an opening to slink off, Ava tried inching her way out of the tight circle that she was in. She only made it half a step to the side before Jessica yanked her back roughly. Ava jolted into place, wrinkling her nose when someone elbowed her side.
She was expecting an earful from Jessica on why she had to stay with her, but instead she leaned closer to Ava. Her harsh whisper fanning over her face, "who is that, and why is he staring at me?"
Ava furrowed her eyebrows and followed her gaze. She noticed Bella first, her back facing Ava as she spoke to someone blocked by another group of people; then she caught sight of her companions, immediately zeroing in on who Jessica was talking about.
"He's-what the hell?"
Paul stood off to the side, a widening smirk spreading across as he realized that Ava had noticed him. Embry and Quil were behind him, snickering at the interaction between their friend and pack brother.
Ava's eyes swept to Bella and now that the group had cleared from her vision, she noticed that she was talking to Jacob…and she didn't look very happy. She almost forgot that Jessica was beside her until she felt her nails digging into her forearm.
"Jess," Ava replied blankly, locking her eyes back onto Paul's expression. He looked much too smug at her reaction and she deepened her scowl.
"He's hot," Jessica said bluntly, not bothering to hide her gawk. Ava nearly choked.
"Jessica," she hissed, whirling her head to narrow her eyes. "Be quiet."
"It's not like he can hear me." Jessica rolled her eyes, defending herself before perking up. Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous shine as she continued, "should I go introduce myself?" She raised her eyebrows matter-of-factly. "He's, like, staring hardcore. It's obvious he wants to talk to me. Maybe he's nervous."
She shook her head slightly. "Jessi-"
Jessica didn't pay her any mind, continuing to ramble, "…like, totally my type. I'm pretty sure Mike is going to, like, ask me out again, but I'd rather…"
Ava tried concentrating on what she was talking about but feeling Paul's stare on her was beginning to grate against her nerves. The idiot said he wasn't going to come and here he was. As if he had every single right to be.
…Which he technically did, it's not like this was illegal. Still, that didn't erase the fact that he should have told her if he was going to come, save her the dejection she felt from his refusal.
She tried twisting her arm out of Jessica's iron grip again. "Do you think he's from around here? I would've remembered a face like that. Okay, I'm gonna do it," Jessica resolved, her eyes still completely unabashed.
"Just…shh," Ava hushed, turning towards Paul. "I'll be back."
"What are you doing?' Jessica asked comically, taken aback by Ava's statement.
Ava ignored her, shaking off her hold finally and stalking towards the amused trio of boys. Her expression fell into an annoyed glare as she neared; Bella was still talking to Jacob, seemingly much calmer than when Ava saw her initially.
Embry and Quil couldn't fight the cheesy smile on their faces as Ava approached. They loved the girl but even they were a little afraid of her outbursts as they've had enough experience dealing with them since they'd known her.
"What are you doing?" Ava immediately demanded, reciting Jessica's question she disregarded a second ago–only she was fully expecting an answer from the smug wolf. "What happened to 'hell no'?"
Ava ignored Bella's glance at her, keeping her eyes on the amused glint in Paul's eyes.
Quil smothered a snort, highly entertained by the events developing in front of him. He elbowed Embry's side, both giving Paul a mocking shove of his shoulder. "Dude, I think you're in trouble."
Paying no mind to the simpering boys beside him, he raised his eyebrows challengingly. "You wanted me to come."
"I did." Ava nodded, almost sarcastically. "And then you said there's no way in hell you're coming unless I'm at death's door." She continued dryly, "so unless you know something I don't, I'm not dying, and you shouldn't be here."
Instead of answering any question or statement thrown at him, he nodded once behind Ava. "Is that the annoying one?"
Ava turned her head, catching Jessica's wide eyes. Jessica stared for a second before turning on her heel, probably hoping that no one noticed her staring despite her gaze being locked on them for the past two minutes.
"She's not annoying," Ava bristled, whipping her head back to narrow her eyes. "You are. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"I said I'd think about it," he pointed out. He was pleased with her reaction to him showing up, it was exactly what he was expecting; Paul actually hoped he had another chance to get her this riled up again. Not only was her expression endearing, but so were the waves of her barely suppressed annoyance radiating off her.
"You also said to not get disappointed when you don't show up." Ava scoffed, missing the distracted look that Paul had on while looking at her. "I took that as a resonating no."
During their back and forth, Quil and Embry looked very interested and still a little surprised that Ava was arguing with the most easily provoked shape-shifter in the pack. They didn't think they'd ever forget the first time they heard Ava say something with the smallest amount of irritation to Paul; he hadn't given a single indication that he was going to give a negative reaction, in fact, he looked incredibly amused.
"I'll…" Bella voiced emptily, still standing beside Ava. She leaned against her cousin for support as she caught sight of Alice coming down the stairs. In a flash, Alice dropped the crystal bowl in her hands and it shattered to the ground, not garnering much attention as the music was playing loudly and everyone was preoccupied.
Ava swung her attention to join Bella's, cocking her head to the side to look past Paul's frame.
Suddenly, Bella grabbed Ava's elbow. "We'll be right back." Ava wasn't sure who she was talking to, but Alice's expression didn't let her question too much.
Bella steered her towards the stairs where Alice stood frozen, her hands still held out as if the bowl was in her grasp. "Alice, what'd you see?"
Ava searched Alice's face. "Alice?"
"The decision's been made," Alice said sorrowfully, her pupils darting around.
"What's going on?" "What decision?" Jacob and Paul asked from over Bella and Ava's shoulders, respectively.
Bella shook her head knowingly. "You're not going to Seattle." Ava whipped her head to the side to look at her before Alice continued.
"No." Alice answered dejectedly. "They're coming here...they'll be here in four days."
10:42 PM. Cullen House.
Carlisle paced back and forth. "This could turn into a bloodbath."
After Alice had her vision she immediately went to her family to relay what she saw. The Cullens ended the party soon after, some grumbling about how it was still early but most were content that they were able to see the infamous Cullen house.
Edward frowned and turned towards Alice. "Who's behind it?"
Shaking her head, Alice answered, "I didn't see anyone I recognized…maybe one." Edward delved into her mind, catching who she was speaking about.
He nodded. "I know his face. He's local. Riley Biers...he didn't start this."
Ava furrowed her brows, tightening her crossed arms. "The-he's missing," she insisted, glancing at everyone's somber expressions. "He's not…he's been missing for a long time, there's no way…"
"It is," Alice responded to her before turning towards Edward. "And whoever did start this is staying out of the action."
Ava felt a shiver of fear tear from her body uncontrollably and she clenched her hands into fists. She knew it wasn't the cold; Paul was right behind her and his intense heat was radiating off him more strongly than before. Embry and Quil were on one side of him and Jacob was on his other, all listening vehemently and exchanging quick glances in concentration.
Ava could tell that they were more than a little confused, as no one had really spoken about what exactly was going on. In actuality, Ava was in the same boat.
"They must be playing with the blind spots in your vision." Carlisle was thinking aloud, shaking his head lightly. Jasper chimed in, "either way, the army's coming and there aren't enough of us to protect the town."
Jacob sighed exasperatedly, finally reaching his breaking point. "Hold up. What damn army."
"Newborns," Carlisle explained. "Our kind."
Embry crossed his arms, eyeing the vampire. "What are they after?"
Alice shifted uncomfortably as Carlisle turned towards her. "They were passing around Bella's red blouse."
Ava felt her heart drop in her chest and she felt like she was going to be sick. This can't be happening; this stupid army of vampires are hunting Bella down?
She overheard Paul behind her, muttering in annoyance, "seriously? Again?" She could feel a rise in her temper and she shot him the most scathing glare she could muster over her shoulder, not appreciating his comment in the least.
He didn't back down, meeting her expression with one of his own; all her damn cousin was doing was causing more problems for anyone involved around her. Ava pursed her lips and looked back around as she heard Bella muttering to herself.
"The red…" Bella whispered breathlessly, squinting her eyes down at the ground. Everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to finish. Bella looked up, the distress clear in her eyes as she looked at Ava. "…Didn't you…?"
Ava only looked at her, a puzzled expression plain across her face. Everyone fell silent and their eyes were drilling into her waiting for the answer to Bella's unasked question.
Then it hit her.
She had been wearing that shirt when she went to Port Angeles with Angela. The day that hadn't left her mind, the day where she felt like someone had been watching her every move.
"I did," Ava choked out, dislodging the lump that had formed in her throat. Paul stiffened immediately, gritting his teeth together harshly.
Ava continued, chuckling nervously to ease her tension. "It's not like it would've stuck, though, right?" She glanced desperately at everyone. "It was a-a, like, a month ago." Finally, Ava burst at Bella, taking a step forward, "I put it back in your room! Why would they-?!"
"Ava." Alice frowned, trying to reassure the spooked girl. "It's probably nothing."
"They could be using her scent to try and keep tabs on Ava, as well as Bella. They've been watching, there's no way they haven't…Victoria has been seen...then the other vampire…" Jasper trailed off. "She wants revenge."
Now, Ava really felt like she was going to vomit. Her hands were tingling with nervousness and she could feel the quake in her knees. Maybe now was the time to mention Port Angeles…it could be nothing, but the nervous knot in her stomach was thickening by the second.
As they continued speaking amongst themselves, Ava tuned them out in favor of trying to control the hitch in her breath. Paul narrowed his eyes at the back of her head, instantly detecting the shift.
He leaned forward, his breath tickling the side of her neck. "You need to breath-"
"Nothing," Ava responded blankly, not even hearing him. That only elicited a suspicious expression and he pressed, "Ava, you're acting weird."
"No, I'm not," she snapped a little too loudly. At that, everyone's eyes shot at her with confused, furrowed brows.
After a pause of her words settling heavily, Ava spoke carefully, "there may have been…something." Ava backtracked immediately, contradicting herself now that she heard herself aloud. "You know, it's probably nothing, I'm crazy-"
"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked patiently, deepening the perfect lines between his eyes. "What 'something'?"
Ava shifted uncomfortably at everyone's attention and spoke quickly, "it happened when I went to Port Angeles. It just felt a little off…like, I was being watched. Then on the way back something ran in front of Angela's car." She took a small pause, shutting her eyes. "It looked like a person but maybe it was a deer or something."
"I'm not so sure about that." Emmett raised a brow. "That bitch is itching to get anywhere near Bella."
"Emmett," Esme chastised.
"He's right," Jasper voiced, glancing at Bella. "Victoria will do anything to hurt her."
"And I had the same feeling when that vampire was in our house," Ava finally admitted, Bella whipping her head to stare her down. "I woke up that night and I just felt off..."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Bella ground out, scowling.
"It was just a feeling." Ava tightened her lips, willing her racing heart to slow down a fraction. "I haven't really seen anything, so, it's nothing. Nothing happened."
"Yet," Paul cut in sharply, he instinctively hovered closer to Ava, only a half-step away. "Nothing, yet."
"…They do have her scent." Alice said, worry beginning to bite at her. "And…if she wore that blouse when she was being watched, then why would they take that specific one, instead of one with just Bella's scent."
Jasper frowned. "That's only if her scent was actually-"
"So, do they have it or not?" Ava blurted out, tired of the back and forth.
"They'll be able to distinguish your scent from Bella's," Carlisle explained, adding after a second, "but yours is more than likely in the mix as well."
Jacob advanced a step, standing next to Ava. "So, they're after Bella? And now, they have Ava's scent?" He glanced rapidly from both girls. "What the hell does this mean?'
"It means another fucking thing, Jacob." Paul scowled, unable to keep his voice quiet. He could feel Embry and Quil inching closer, keeping their eyes on him in case he got too angry–but right now, all he could focus on was finding a way to keep Ava as safe as possible.
"It also means an ugly fight," Carlisle tacked on, shaking his head with the thought. "With lives lost."
Jacob swallowed roughly, absorbing all that was said before turning towards his brothers. He and Paul seemed to have an entire conversation solely with their eyes before Paul spoke up, "...all right. We're in."
Paul was third-in-command in Sam's pack, so his word within the four boys there was final. Ava wasn't sure if she was expecting him to flat out refuse and come to the conclusion that she and her family way too complicated for him, but she did feel a small wave of relief wash over her.
Bella shook her head while staring at Jacob, pleadingly. "No. You'd get yourselves killed. No way."
Ava furrowed her eyebrows. Killed? They've fought vampires before, what's the difference between newborns? She opened her mouth to ask when Jacob scoffed mockingly at Bella. "We aren't asking for permission."
"Edward?" Bella turned towards her boyfriend beside her as another attempt to convince the pack not to fight.
Edward took a second before replying, speaking cautiously, "it means more protection for you. Both of you," He gave Ava a pointed glance.
"Paul," Carlisle suddenly said, addressing the ill-tempered shape-shifter over Ava's shoulder. "Do you believe Sam would agree to...an understanding?"
He answered in a mocking tone of voice. "As long as we get to kill some vampires."
"We'll need to coordinate," Carlisle continued, straightening up and already thinking through when he'd be able to get together with Sam to speak.
Bella took a desperate step towards him. "Carlisle, they're gonna get hurt."
He gave her a sympathetic look and turned towards the pack. "We'll all need some training. Fighting newborns requires knowledge that Jasper has. You're welcome to join us."
Shooting Paul a quick nod, Jacob took a confident step forward. "All right. Name the time and place."
"Jake," Bella pleaded. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
"Bella." Jake imitated her voice. "This is what we do. You should be happy." He continued in a taunting voice, "look at us, working together. You are the one who wanted us to get along. Remember?"
Their unspoken tension had everyone confused, even Ava. She could only assume it was the kiss that Jake had planted on her, but she didn't have the time to think too much into it. She was confused; she still had no idea about the difference between the vampires and newborns. Bella hadn't gone into detail when she told her about the army and Ava figured newborns were just new vampires. But with everyone preparing for some unseen, immense danger, she could feel that something was wrong.
After Jacob finished, he stepped back and jerked his head towards the front door. "We should go."
Paul didn't move, lingering behind Ava until Jacob reminded him that they still needed to speak to Sam; he nodded once, understanding the timeline that they had been left with.
"I'll see you later?" He said carefully, a light hand on the small of Ava's back.
Ava only nodded robotically, barely hearing him through her resonating thoughts.
Favorite and Follow! And if you have a second, leave a review and tell me what you think! And, I am loving everyone saying they love the quotes at the end! Haha, they're honestly my favorite part to add since the chapters are all written out so all I really have to do is edit and while I'm editing, my mind starts racing about the funniest quotes I can get my hands on/the ones I already have saved. Also, woah, I just had deja vu reading this caption for errors.
Incorrect Quote(s) of the Chapter:
Paul: I can't believe you guys are at this lame party.
Quil: You're here too.
Paul: Am I?
.+.
Ava: Paul, can I speak to you for a second?
Paul: Ooooh, someone's in trouble.
Paul: It's me, I don't know why I did that.
.+.
Ava, panicking about the newborn army: How are we supposed to defend ourselves? We have no sticks, no rocks, no bears.
Bella, whispering: ...bears?
.+.
Alice: That's why I'm here. To deliver unpleasant news and witty one-liners.
.+.
Ava: I'm at a loss for words!
Paul, narrating: Despite being at a loss for words, Ava yelled at me for the next ten minutes.
.+.
Sam: Does everyone remember the plan?
Embry: I thought we didn't have a plan.
Jared: No plan? Easy to remember.
Paul: ...
.+.
Brady: You know, just like pop rocks and coke, Collin and I make a dangerous team.
.+.
Ava: Is anyone else scared?
Bella: Not me. I've already lived longer than I expected.
.+.
Bella: I disagree.
Ava: You usually do.
.+.
Jacob: We need to think; how do we usually get out of these messes?
Ava: We don't.
Bella: We just make a bigger one that cancels the first one out.
