So the response from the last chapter was nothing short of amazing, thank you all so much - I love that you appreciate the stronger side to Gemma's character. It is so important to me that she has her own personality and certainly doesn't take crap from anyone!
We are quickly getting towards the end of New Moon now, which is scary in itself. I just can't believe how long this story is already, it feels like I've only been writing it 5 minutes!
Hope you love the chapter.
I've made it! It is Saturday, and today marks the first day of my holiday, a much-awaited event, even though I have nothing in particular planned. In all honestly I am just excited to have time to myself. Hell, I can spend it doing whatever I want!
Although having said that Emily has also cleared her schedule, so no doubt I will spend a lot of my time with her. With Sam at work and Paul very close to being able to open up the shop, she and I will have plenty of free time to spend together – something that surprisingly, we lack.
We see each other a lot of course, but never just the two of us. Unlike when I first arrived in the US, where our group consisted of just the two of us and Sam, these days we have a whole hoard of people constantly bouncing between our houses. As much as I love them all it makes everything constantly noisy and a complete buzz of activity. Whereas actually, I miss the laid back and relaxed life we used to live.
So if anything I see this as a blessing.
Although having said that I can do whatever I want, I am spending the first morning of my holiday undertaking a number of chores, none of which have been exactly thrilling. A bit like this next one, in fact.
I have had to pop into Newton's Outfitter's upon Paul's request, much to my chagrin. Truthfully I have no idea what half the stuff he needs even is and have instead been sent in with a specific list and the hopes that someone in the store will have a clue.
He is very excited about it all though, saying that should I be able to find everything he is fully ready to start taking appointments at the shop next week.
So no pressure Gem…even if it does seem like your boyfriends future and happiness depends on you not getting lost in this place. Besides, I thought this was a camping shop – what does that have to do with a car mechanics? I dread to think, but I'm too afraid to ask him; as long as he's happy, that's fine with me.
Unfortunately, life seems to have it in for me today, as upon my entering the shop I immediately realised that the only person working out front today is Bella. Not that I don't want to see her, but I get the feeling she is nearly as clueless as I when it comes to the more technical things. Still, I suppose we can try together and see what we end up with – although it will undoubtedly be the wrong type of rope. But if that is the case Paul will just have to take time out to go himself, he knows I am useless with this stuff!
"Bella, hi" I smiled at the girl who was behind the checkout, who looked a little startled to see me "I had no idea you work here! How are you?"
"Urm yeah, hi Gemma. I'm good, how are you?" she seemed a little stunted in her talk, but engaged with me all the same, tugging one brown lock nervously before pulling her hair away from her face completely.
I took a second to assess her fully, taking in her incredibly pale skin and mahogany hair to chocolate coloured eyes. She is a pretty girl, for sure. I can absolutely see why Jacob is so taken with her. With that in mind it is kind of a shame that we got off on the wrong foot, I mean she can't exactly be horrible if she gets on so well with him. Still, there is always time to make amends.
"I am great, thank you!" I went on enthusiastically, waving my list at her "I am actually here on behalf of Paul, as I am sure you will have guessed…"
"Oh right yeah" she fumbled once again, taking the list from me carefully and scanning its contents "sure we have some of this stuff, but a few bits you'll need a hardware store for"
"Great!" I beamed at her "I did think so, but I'll leave that for another time – don't want to push my limits"
She only nodded, looking down at her hands once again as she looked over my shoulder once again, as though in some kind of trance.
"Are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask once again, concern marring my tone. After all she looks like some kind of zombie, if I am honest.
"I guess" she replied, sounding less and less convincing time goes on "Just not got much going on right now"
"Oh, okay" I clacked my tongue against my teeth, weighing up my options. After all everything about her currently screams 'help', from the way she is frightfully pale with huge bags under her eyes, to wandering around like some kind of spirit. It is, to say the least, awful "well listen, what are you doing after your shift?"
"Urm I don't know" she finally moved over to the other end of the store, checking just once that I followed her, before she started pulling random things of the shelf. I guess I am just going to have to trust her, she does seem fairly confident in what she is doing, after all.
"Well I have an afternoon free, so wondered if you wanted to grab a coffee? Or even lunch, if you're hungry" I made the offer before I could think too much about it. Ultimately this girl means a lot to Jacob, so I may as well make the effort. I should at least try and get over my initial opinion of her, which was probably formed under the wrong circumstances. We have all been overcome with emotion at various stages after all, so her hitting Paul could have been completely out of character – just as my snapping at her was.
It's better to wipe the slate clean and start again.
"I don't know. I kinda wanted to do something fun" she mumbled as she made her way back to the checkout "life recently has become so empty"
Well…that is concerning.
"Okay, well we could go for a hike?" I offered "I mean I have nothing on and it would be great to spend time with you. I think Jake would really appreciate that too"
A long and pregnant pause stretched out between us, during which I stared at the girl expectantly. She in turn stared right back, brown eyes dull.
"Okay" she finally replied after what felt like a lifetime "I finish at midday; I'll meet you down on the beach at around half past?"
"Perfect"
Two hours later we both strolled along in a slightly awkward silence, my attempts at polite conversation long since abandoned. Instead we seemed to have formed the mutual opinion that while we tolerate each other's company, we will probably never be friends…
After all, the last twenty minutes have been spent with me asking questions and attempting to get a bit of life out of her, whilst Bella has responded with strained, one-word answers. I definitely should have dragged Emily along, that may have made this slightly more bearable.
I have to say this isn't exactly how I imagined the afternoon going, as Jacob loves spending time with the girl, but at least she is out and about. The walk itself isn't unpleasant in the least, either. Every time I come out here the beauty of it all takes my breath away. Plus I haven't done this particular trail since the first time Paul and I kissed. Even just walking past that spot now made my stomach flip, a smile making its way onto my face as I replayed those happy memories.
That may as well have been years ago now, but there is no doubt I love him more with each passing day.
"Have you ever been up here before?" I asked Bella, attempting to start yet another conversation, despite it being the equivalent to pulling teeth "it's beautiful isn't it?"
But Bella had instead stopped walking, staring ahead blankly just over my shoulder, and out into the sea below. I too came to a stop, tilting my head curiously as I regarded the girl in front of me, who now looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Urm, Bella?" I asked, waving my hand in front of her face, now a little unsure of her sanity "are you okay? You seem a little distracted"
"Edward" she murmured, still essentially looking through me as she came to a halt. I too ground to a complete halt, heartrate spiking at the mention of her ex-boyfriend and vampire. Has he suddenly returned? Surely not, he can't be on the reservation! The wolves would know straight away and tear him apart.
Yet Bella isn't even looking anywhere in particular – instead she is still looking out over the cliff edge. It didn't occur to me until that moment just how close she had drifted to the edge, peering over curiously.
Suddenly worried I reached out and grasped her wrist, glad that she and I have similar bone structures, allowing me to yank her further away from the edge. The last thing I need is for her to trip and fall off the edge of the cliff. I have heard horror stories about her lack of co-ordination, after all.
"Bella!" my voice rose slightly this time as I tried to get her attention. Yet she barely acknowledged me, her brown eyes flickering in my direction for just a second, before back to the empty space ahead.
"Come back" she suddenly murmured, yanking her hand out of mine and taking a step towards the edge. What the hell is she doing? Is she mad?
"Oh no you don't. Come on Bella, I am taking you home!" this time I reached for her arm, both of my hands curling around her bicep as I yanked her away from the edge once again, fear seizing my chest as the waves crashing into the cliff face below rang in my ears.
"No" as if awoken from a dream she ripped her arm out of mine, turning to face me with a scowl "stop ordering me around. Who do you think you are, my mother?"
"Of course not" I replied, only mildly surprised at her sudden change in tone "but when you start wandering towards a cliff edge muttering your ex-boyfriends name like some kind of zombie, I feel a responsibility to get you home safely."
She flinched, visibly flinched at the mere mention of Edward, her dull eyes lighting up for just a brief second before quietening once more, replaced with that ever-present grief.
"This has nothing to do with Ed-him" she corrected herself a the last second, mustering quite the glare for one who up until this second had been inclined to show no emotion at all "you know nothing of my situation, so quit bringing him into this"
"I know enough" I stated firmly "I know enough to want to ensure you get home safely – I thought that coming for a walk may help you, but I may have been wrong"
She scoffed at me, folding her arms across her chest with a huff.
"Look Bella" I once again softened my voice "I understand what you are going through, okay? Heartbreak is shit, like really shit, I mean if I lost Paul-"
"Like you can possibly compare my relationship to your obsession with Paul" Bella almost spat my imprint's name, forcing me to bite my lip as she sneered at me, her eyes flickering from my body to the space, just to my right. Like she was searching for something, or someone. Forever searching…
"Right, that's enough. We are going home" I had to force myself to rise above her little comment, taking a long breath in as I bit my lip. After all I am supposedly the adult here, despite Bella now being 18. I need to be the responsible one and not snap back, as tempting as that may be…
"No" she dug her heels in "I think it is about time you heard some truths. Considering how you swan around thinking you're so amazing, with your perfect relationship and hold you have over Jake."
"Excuse me?"
This is not the girl I met at Emily's. The one which cowered behind Jake at every opportunity, the one who looked to be afraid of her own shadow, let alone anything else. This version of Bella, the one I doubt she lets very many people see. Well I hate to say it…but she seems like a bit of a bitch.
"I love Jacob, okay! And yet he seems wary of me, even told me that you said he should be, considering I'm not his imprint" she sneered over the word, her face twisting in disgust "like that means anything anyway. What Edward and I had was real, true love. This imprinting is just crap – it means nothing, yet you act like you own Paul, and the other guys too"
"Sorry Bella, but in one sentence, you insulted my relationship, claimed that you are in love with Jacob, yet then straight after told me your relationship with a vampire was real, true love" I raised one eyebrow "care to explain the logic there?"
"Jacob is in love with me" she threw her backpack onto the floor in disgust "Yet you have ruined it by convincing him I can't fully love him in return. All because you told him to wait for his imprint –Jacob and I are forming genuine love. Not whatever disgusting and unnatural bond forms with imprinting."
"Really? Because from the way you're acting, wandering around mourning your ex, it seems to me you're only using Jake as a way to make yourself feel better. You can't do that, Bella! You are going to break Jacob's heart." I struggled to maintain composure at this point, even going so far as to counting backwards slowly in my head, a technique usually employed when dealing with very difficult clients.
After all this is really not what I expected from Bella. I only offered to do this walk to be nice after all, and I am really starting to wish I hadn't bothered.
"Yeah well Edward broke mine" her voice became a whisper at that point, before raising once again as she continued her verbal assault "so what if I just want to be happy? Edward and I had the deepest, most meaningful connection – you couldn't even begin to understand."
I blinked rapidly as she continued, shoving her dark hair away from her face as she took a step towards me.
"I was going to become one of them and we would be together for eternity! Paul was forced to love you; your relationship is nothing compared with what ours was. Therefore, you know nothing as should stay the hell away from Jacob."
"No" I finally snapped at her, having barely been able to control myself through her little speech. After all, if you insult me? Fine. You insult my boyfriend or the pack? Really not okay. That is all that ran through my mind as my hands clenched at my side, jaw tensed as my body filled with anger, so much so I know Paul would feel it through our bond. It isn't often I am so overcome with emotion that my emotions leak through; but this is sure as hell one of those times.
"Your relationship was based off bloodlust. Bloodlust and control. You weren't happy – you only convinced yourself you were. You want to become like one of them? A soulless monster who spends every moment craving the blood of an innocent? You are literally insane."
I watched as she approached me quickly, moving her arm towards my face to slap me, face screwed up in anger as I dared to insult her relationship. But after what she did to Paul I expected this outburst from her…and so, I moved faster.
Her eyes widened as I caught her wrist, blue eyes pinning her with the firmest look I could manage.
"As for my relationship with Paul" my voice was scarcely more than a whisper "never speak of it again. I warned you before that I would land you in a shitstorm of trouble if you insulted the pack – and now my patience is wearing thin."
My words and thinly veiled threat seemed to get through to her, as her body retreated back into itself, her eyes glazing over once more as her gaze wondered back out over the cliff. With one strong movement she wrenched her wrist out of my grip, scowl still sat on her face as she arms curled across her chest.
In the meantime I took three deep breaths, both slightly horrified at what has just occurred, but also a little relieved. After all it is definitely something which needed to be said – the air between us feels clearer now, if a little awkward.
Yet that still doesn't stop the shock I feel at her differing personalities. The way that she is around Jacob or the other guys compared with what I just witnessed? Worlds apart. It's at times like this I wish I had access to the pack mind, just so I can show them this later. Even still human her loyalty to the vampires is unmatchable, and I admire her on that front. She clearly loves Edward very deeply, to the point where it could easily be called obsession.
Whether she was truly happy with him is another question entirely. However it is without a doubt that should the Cullen's ever return, Jake is going to have to brace himself. Because when it comes to the heart of Isabella Swan, it is well and truly taken.
As hard as it may be for Jake to accept…her love does not belong to him.
"I am going home" was all I could think to say, after we had both stood in silence for a full minute "are you coming? I don't want to leave you here alone"
She blinked rapidly, as though just realising I was still there, before shaking her head.
"I have things to do" she murmured, waving me off "you go ahead"
"I don't know, Bella. I don't want to leave you here alone – let's walk back together…"I trailed off awkwardly as she barely even looked at me, most likely still irritated by our little discussion. Truthfully I am too, however the last thing I want is for her to put her health at risk.
Plus at the end of the day I am extremely English – we don't really do confrontation, and where it does occur we do like to move on as quickly as possible.
Besides, I am desperate for a cup of tea.
"No" she left little room for discussion "go home Gemma"
I sighed at that, unwilling to get into yet another debate. Against my better judgment or not, I can hardly force her back home; she's an adult. And I am being truly honest with myself at this point I am exhausted – I need a lie down and preferably a cuddle, if I can find my wolf anywhere…
And so I only nodded, muttering a quick goodbye as I began to walk back down the path in the direction of our house. Although it would take a good half an hour, I am still dreaming of that cup of tea. I may even have a bath!
I turned back briefly just before I turned the corner and would therefore disappear out of view, intent on checking on Bella one final time. After all it's pretty chilly today, why would she want to stay out longer than possible? She is obviously struggling that much is clear, but I have heard from Jake that she spends most of the time indoors or working on motorbikes these days.
I have been very careful to not mention that in front of Chief Swan. I doubt he would be appreciative of his daughter riding around on one, after all. In fact, the word 'grounded' comes to mind.
But upon turning around, what I actually saw made my blood run cold and my muscles seize. And then, before I could even think about what I could possibly say, I started screaming.
"Bella!" I screeched at the top of my lungs, already sprinting back towards the younger girl, who took another step towards the edge, not even reacting to my voice. By the looks of her she had spent the entire time staring over the edge, inching closer as she removed her jumper, dropping it to the floor "Bella no!"
I reached her just as she jumped, hand outstretched as my fingers caught the very back of her shirt, the fabric skimming my fingertips as I landed on the floor in a heap, gasping from the exertion. Yet my stomach dropped as I came to the awful realisation. I wasn't fast enough. This time I couldn't stop her as she hurtled over the edge, just as the wolves do.
Only the wolves are incredibly resilient and only cliff jump for enjoyment. This? This is suicide. There is no way any human should be jumping from this height! And yet she did… she jumped.
And there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop her, no way I could have reached her in time.
She was gone.
I was up and running down the steps which are embedded into the cliff face before I noticed I'd even moved, half throwing myself down the unsteady path as I hurtled towards the beach below.
I was halfway down when suddenly a figure appeared out of the cold water, hunched over and half choking but thankfully familiar all the same.
"Jacob!" I managed to yell as I nearly got to the bottom, my legs running on adrenaline and not a whole lot else. After all it looks like, by some miracle, he is in the right place at the right time and had also found Bella. But then on the other hand, she does not look good…
"Jesus christ!" I sprinted across the beach, heart in my mouth as I watched a now soaked Jacob dragging a half dead Bella out of the water "is she okay?"
"What happened?" Jake snapped at me as he immediately bent over the girl, attempting to dislodge the water which surely filled her lungs. I doubled over, gasping for breath as I reached his side, the world spinning slightly.
"I have no idea. One minute we were going on a walk, we had a slight argument, then the next she was running off the damn cliff!" my breath came out in gasps, but I forced the words out all the same. Jacob barely seemed to hear me however, instead remained crouched over Bella protectively, trying to force life back into her.
"Breathe" Jacob kept repeating, pushing onto her chest furiously "Breathe!"
I watched with bated breath as we now both crouched over her. It took what felt like forever, but eventually she sputtered, making us both sit back with a sigh of relief. Immediately I pulled off my jumper, draping it over her now shivering form as I rubbed my own arms against the breeze.
"Bella? Can you hear me?" he smoothed back her hair lovingly, both of us sighing in relief as the girl finally opened her eyes, wincing against the light of day.
"Oh thank god" I couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped me, pressing a hand over my thumping heart "you had us worried there Bella"
Jacob said nothing more, instead easily scooping her off the floor, both of us trudging back across the beach and towards the car park.
"Thank god I was here" he mumbled into her hair "that was way too close for comfort"
"I'm sorry, I had no idea she was going to do that" I couldn't stop the swell of guilt in my chest, having to take deep breaths as my stomach rolled painfully "she kept talking about Edward but I thought she was just feeling a bit upset about him – not that she was going to drop off the sodding cliff!"
Jacob stiffened at the vampire's name, but soon became distracted when Bella shifted in his arms, pushing her face against his chest.
"It's not your fault Gem" he sighed "Bella has been doing all kinds of crazy things recently. I don't know what I can do to help her…"
A silence settled over us as we trudged to his car, Jacob busy watching over a still drowsy Bella, whereas I put all my focus into not throwing up, unease like no other settling over me as my eyes darted between the two. I think that all the events of the afternoon are catching up with me, and at this point I could burst into tears.
I mean what if Jacob wasn't here? What if Bella had drowned? Would that have been my fault?
By now I am certain that if I had a mirror handy, I could confirm my face has turned a lovely shade of green.
"I'm going to take her home" Jacob said once we had sourced towels and dryish clothes from his car. Thank god he is so forward thinking – purely due to phasing and destroying so many clothes, but that is besides the point. This may well just save Bella's life "you should get going – Paul was looking for you earlier and was getting worried. He said you left your cell at home?"
Oh, shoot. He is right, I completely forgot about that. It is still on charge in the kitchen where I had left it this morning. Some responsible adult I am, I completely forgot about having any means to contact anyone. And then I decided to take a suicidal and clearly deranged girl on a hike up some cliffs.
Gemma, you are an idiot.
"Yeah sure, you sure you'll be okay?" I asked, worried. Jacob nodded, climbing into the driver's side
"I will be, when I know she's safe. Get in, I'll take you back up to town at least" he asked "you need to call Paul so that he can make sure you get back home safe. I would take you there myself, but you know…"
I waved off his explanation in understanding. After all he is clearly still in love with the girl and she still looks too pale, although thankfully now alert enough to grumble about the current situation. The last thing he will want to do is drive ten minutes in the wrong direction, when she desperately needs heat and a change of clothes.
"I'm all good, it doesn't take long to walk back – although I'd appreciate it if you did call Paul to let him know. He will probably meet me halfway" I gestured back to the rocky path I had just scrambled down, now considering the distance I had actually managed to cover. Adrenaline does funny things because in all honesty, that was an impressive run; Emily would be proud.
Jacob only scoffed, as he basically forced me into the vehicle, before tapping against the steering wheel as he drove back up the hill to the top of the cliff.
"If you think I am leaving you alone you've got another thing coming. Paul would kill me knowing I left his girl out alone…especially with the threat of bloodsuckers so high"
I suppose that is true.
"Can I use your phone?" I instead asked, waiting politely as Jacob passed me the mobile. Wordless I found Paul's number, pressing dial and holding the phone to my ear.
"What do you want, Black?" Paul picked up on the second ring, sounding nothing short of a grumpy toad. Poor Jacob, if that is the reception he usually gets I feel the need to apologise!
"I hope that's not how you greet everyone darling" I remarked dryly, rolling my eyes.
"Gemma!" his voice filled with relief "oh thank god, I'm sorry baby I was stressed! I felt you were upset but couldn't find you and I have been running everywhere! There is something I need to tell you. Jacob too."
"It's okay, Paul" I murmured with a light laugh "but would you please be able to pick me up? I'm with Jake right now but could do with a ride"
"From where?" he immediately asked, before tacking on the end "it wasn't Jacob who upset you right? Because I swear-"
"No" I interrupted him "it wasn't. So be nice and I'll see you in a few minutes, meet me on the main road out of La Push, I've been at the beach so we are just heading back up now"
"Okay, already on my way. I love you" was all he said, sounding a lot happier than his previous barking tones.
"I love you too" I replied before hanging up, passing the phone back to Jake with a thank you.
We drove in silence for the rest of the way, Bella pulling her knees up to her chest and staring out of the window, eyes glazed over once more. Thankfully the awkward ride lasted no longer than a few minutes, before Jake pulled up in front of Paul's truck, who already sat on the side of the road. I don't even want to think about how fast he must have driven for that to have happened.
Immediately my boyfriend leapt out, wearing nothing but shorts as he signalled for us both to get out of the car.
"Stay here" Jacob said to Bella, before we both clambered out. I immediately made my way quickly over to Paul, Jacob following at a much slower pace behind.
He didn't say anything as I finally made it to his arms, only hugging me to his chest before releasing me once again, eyes checking over my form. Still he didn't smile, his eyes seemingly somewhat pained as he ran a finger along my cheekbone gently, before turning his attention to the other wolf.
"What's up?" Jacob finally asked as he took in his serious expression. In fact, Paul's continued lack of smile had me automatically bracing, my eyes scanning him worryingly for any sign of injury. This is so unlike him.
"It's Harry Clearwater" he said gravely, interrupting my thoughts "he's gone."
"What do you mean 'gone'?" Jacob asked, narrowing his eyes
"He-" Paul's voice broke slightly, automatically reaching for my hand as he cleared his throat "he had a heart attack today – there was nothing anyone could do"
I felt my blood run cold as Jacob immediately turned, ramming his fist into a nearby tree with such force his hand surely broke. Yet he made no sign of any pain, instead standing with his head bowed against his chest, refusing to look at either of us.
"I am so sorry" I croaked out, thinking to the kind man who had helped so adamantly with the shop "I can't – he was such an amazing man. How is Sue? And Leah and Seth?"
"That's the thing" he continued, watching Jacob carefully, who could clearly still hear every word spoken "his death triggered the phase…in both of his children"
"What?" at this point Jacob whirled back around "Leah? But she's a girl! And Seth is so young!"
"We know, Sam is a complete wreck right now. Truthfully the entire pack is scattered. Jared and Embry are out there now, trying to calm them both down enough to phase back. Sam thinks it was Leah phasing which triggered the heart attack. For Seth, it was the shock of it all"
"I am sorry I wasn't there for you" was all I could manage, leaning into him. Thankfully his arms came around me, clinging to me as though I was his lifeline
"It's not your fault" he murmured "after all no one saw this coming. There is a gathering in two days, to celebrate him – everyone is going. His funeral, I guess. We all need to support the Clearwater's"
Jacob didn't say anything more, only turning and yanking the door to his car open, climbing in besides Bella, who now watched us curiously.
Still, no one said a word as he screeched back down the road.
"Are you feeling okay?" Paul asked me later as we curled up in bed that evening. I had sprawled across his chest, one arm wrapped around his waist as I tucked my leg between his, head over his heart.
"Yeah" I managed to breathe, having finally managed to calm myself down enough "just really tired – we have had a weird day"
"Do you want to talk about earlier?" he asked gently, not pushing me too hard "I felt that you were upset, but obviously everything today has happened so fast"
For once he hadn't insisted on my telling him all the details of the day. Instead, he had taken one look at me and driven home near wordlessly, before forcing me into bed. Just minutes later he joined me with cups of tea and sandwiches and since then we have been tucked up like an old married couple, TV on in the background as I finally managed to calm my rolling stomach.
But I can inform you I had not turned green in the slightest, instead going extremely pale, to the point I could even give Bella a run for her money. That, combined with my sudden tiredness and nausea, meant that Paul had asked no questions.
A good thing, considering I know he would never speak to the Swan girl again, if he found out exactly what she said.
"No, it's okay" I shook my head, one finger tracing patterns into his bicep absentmindedly "I am relaxed right now and don't want to ruin it"
Typically just a second later the buzzing of my mobile had me groaning again, pulling the blanket right over my head as I considered who it may be. I hope it's not anyone who actually needs anything, as I am too emotionally drained to leave the house just yet. Even if we do need to get up and make some dinner soon.
I wonder if I can convince Paul we should just order a pizza in…
"Can you get that please?" I asked instead, refusing to so much as glance in the direction of the offending mobile. If it is work I may scream. After all it's my first day off, and so far it hasn't exactly been great.
Paul obliged, grabbing my mobile off the bedside cabinet and unlocking it, his dark eyes skimming over whoever had got in contact. I waited patiently for him to inform me who it was and what they wanted, eyes remaining shut as I considered the multiple ways I could politely tell them to go away.
However instead of speaking as I expected he bolted upright, lifting me easily with him as I blinked at his sudden movement. He didn't explain however, only nearly shoving the phone in my face with urgency.
What on Earth is wrong with him?
I felt the confusion on my face as I squinted against the bright screen, reading the text.
Then I read it again.
And a third time, just to make sure.
It was only then that I looked to Paul, who stared straight back with wide eyes, both of our hearts sinking at the information given.
To: Gemma Mitchell
From: Jacob Black
Gem they're back. A Cullen bloodsucker was at Bella's.
Oh my god.
Let me know what you think. I found it really hard to balance Bella's character, as she is clearly upset but at the same time I have always found her treatment of Jacob awful. And Gemma is always one to stick up for her friends, so I hope that came across.
Next chapter - Introducing Leah (who I adore)
