Hello to anyone reading this! I'm really glad you clicked on my story, please let me know down below if you liked it! This is my first Twilight story here, however this story is in an AU and only loosely follows the original plot points. Rated M for adult themes and situations.
Bella stood at the edge of the cliffs, the wind whipping through her hair smelling of salt and a storm approaching shore. The waves crashed unto the cliff face down below, thunderous and menacing. It would be any second now, and she would see him. She would hear his velvet like voice pleading with her, she would see his shimmering form and his golden eyes bearing into hers. Every time she saw his apparition, it gave her such an intense feeling of hope, almost like he was standing there in person. It had become sort of a high for her, one that had her seeking any dangerous situation just to see him. Although lately, her stunts on motorbikes with Jacob hadn't been enough to conjure him, the more she sought him out the more elusive he became. Over the past few weeks, Bella had tried everything she could think of to evoke his shimmering presence, but it became more futile the more she had tried. She knew it would take something drastic to see him again, something extremely dangerous. There was no length she wouldn't go to just to see him again, which led her to hike up into the mountains until she found herself at the edge of the cliff above the ocean.
Bella looked out onto the rocks below, knowing that this fall could very seriously injure her, if not kill her. She pondered for a moment backtracking and finding a spot farther down, but the thought was dismissed as she knew it wouldn't serve her purposes if no danger was involved. She only knew about this spot because her and Jake had seen Sam and his group diving from this very spot. They were professionals, though, and she didn't know the first thing about cliff diving, nor was she a very good swimmer. She had been meaning to ask Jake to take her, until he stopped returning his calls. Bella couldn't bear the loss of her best friend on top of the loss of the Cullens. Spending time with Jake had helped her to forget for a while, reminding her that she could still smile. Reminding her that she was capable of feeling joy again, and that there was a life outside of the one she had envisioned with Edward. But now that he had left her too, she couldn't cope with both losses. She needed to see Edward again, if only for a few fleeting moments, and she didn't care how far she had to go to do it.
She had a mind to take her bracelets off, as well as remove her cell phone from her pocket. Taking a deep breath and approaching the rocky ledge, her heart hammered in her ears as she prepared to jump.
"Don't do this." Bella turned her head, elated to hear his voice again as she stared at the shimmering image of him. Although she was desperate for his presence, even in this form, she couldn't help but be annoyed that he only chose the moments she was in mortal danger to appear to her.
"You wanted me to be human, watch me." She retorted, desperate for him to appear in physical form and pull her back from the edge.
Stop me, Edward…. Please, come rescue me and stop me if you truly care about me.
"Please? For me?" His apparition pleaded with her, extending a transparent hand to her.
"You won't stay with me any other way…" She whispered, taking another step dangerously close to the edge. Another step, and she would plummet into the depths below. Tears welled in her eyes as she grappled with the reality she faced. This wasn't real and he wasn't here to save her. He never had been, it had always been elusive visions of him. He hadn't stopped her then, and he wasn't going to stop her now. It was only her, standing on the edge of a cliff and pleading with a ghost.
Bella took a deep breath, her mind becoming void of all rational thought. Tears made their way down her face, she wasn't bothered to wipe them away. She couldn't live like this anymore, constantly chasing after a vision of a man who no longer loved her. She had no one to turn to, now that Jake had abandoned her, and the constant nightmares and screaming fits in the night had led Charlie to consider shipping her back to Florida. It seemed nobody she cared about wanted her, she had somehow managed to hurt everyone she cared about and now there was nobody left to stop her. Charlie would be okay without her… he would be upset at first, but he had lived for years without her around, surely he could get used to it again. Jacob had clearly moved on from her as well, perhaps onto somebody who wasn't so broken. The thought of him being happy in the arms of another girl, one with less baggage, brought a small smile to her lips. He would be much better off without the pain and heartbreak that she brought.
And Edward… well, he had said in no uncertain terms that he did not love her anymore. The words he had spoken before he vanished, about her not doing anything stupid, were exactly that. Words. He had made her promise, however he had broken the promise he had made to her as well.
It would never feel like he hadn't existed. And Bella couldn't live her life with the hole in her heart that his loss had left. She listed off the reasons to herself, feeling accepting of the fact that this was the right decision. She wouldn't hurt anybody she loved anymore. They would be free from Bella Swan forever.
She closed her eyes, her heart rate slowing down as she inhaled the salty air. Her mind was made up, and this would be it. She reached her foot out, ready to take her final step…
"Bella? What the HELL are you doing?!" A voice yelled at her as a strong hand grabbed her forearm, yanking her back from the edge. Prone to her clumsy nature, the sudden yank had sent her tripping over her foot and landing on the ground with a hard thud, as well as smashing her head against a rock. Holding her head with her hand, she looked at the person who had grabbed her who she had also dragged to the ground. Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized it was Jacob… but also, not Jacob at the same time.
His long black hair that went past his shoulders had all been chopped off, close to his head in uneven layers. He had definitely bulked up since he had last seen her too, as well as somehow growing a few inches in height. With a sad pang in her chest, she also recognized the tattoo that had appeared on his bicep… Sam's gang all had that same tattoo on their arms.
Jacob quickly got onto his feet before grabbing Bella hastily by the waist, pulling her to her feet. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, dragging her several feet away from the edge of the cliff before planting her firmly on a fallen log. He knelt in front of her, checking to see if she was injured. He deftly noted the cut on her head from the rock, taking her coat from the ground and applying firm pressure to it.
"Bella, are you insane? What the hell were you doing back there? Who were you talking to?" Jacob spoke again, his voice seeming somehow deeper as well, with a more commanding edge to it. She looked into his deep brown eyes, seeing the confusion, shock and fear pooling in them.
"J-Jake…?" She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. She couldn't process what was happening. How was he here? More importantly, why was he here? Her mouth gaped open like a fish, the words not being able to leave her mouth. The throbbing in her head was only getting worse with the passing seconds, her eyelids drooping and her thoughts becoming more scrambled. She fought against it, but it was a losing battle as her entire body felt like it was becoming lead. Deep burgundy roses bloomed behind her eyes as she slumped forward into his chest, unconscious.
The pounding in her head had seemed to recede for a while, but slowly became more pronounced as Bella regained consciousness about 30 minutes later. She was no longer on the cliffside, she noticed as her eyes adjusted to the darkness around her. Wincing with the pain, she sat up to find that she was in Billy Black's house, where she had been lying on the couch. Jake was by her side instantly, offering her a glass of water and some ibuprofen tablets. She accepted both from him as he sat down on the couch next to her, swallowing the pills in one gulp.
"You really scared me back there, Bells…How are you feeling?"
"My head is pounding..." She replied, scooting her legs back to allow for more room for him.
"You hit your head pretty hard on that rock," he replied, his voice low and restrained. "Bella, what were you doing up there? You could have gotten yourself killed!"
His eyes, deep with worry and confusion, scanned her face, trying to find some emotion in her. He found none, however, as she averted his gaze by staring intently at the floor. He waited for a few moments for her to say something, but she didn't answer him. Her arms started to shake, he noticed, and with his advanced hearing he caught that her heart rate had sped up dramatically.
"Bella… were you…were you trying to kill yourself?" He struggled to get the words out, terrified of her answer and in disbelief that he was even asking. He expected her to perk up, and reject the thought instantly and make a comment about how danger prone she was. All he got in return, however, was a sickening feeling in his stomach when she didn't deny it. She had started to shake even more now, her core seeming to vibrate as tears welled in her eyes. She returned his concerned gaze for only a moment, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, before she suddenly launched forward. Bella buried her head into Jacob's shoulder, knowing that she had nothing left to hide. Her body was wracked with sobs as he put his arms around her, clutching her close to him.
"J-Ja….Jake… I-I...I'm s-s-sorry…" Her words came out in strangled gasps as she hyperventilated and sobbed into his chest. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, the other wrapping around her waist and drawing her in, cradling her close to him as she cried. She clutched onto him even tighter, her arms wrapped around his neck and finding purchase on his back.
Jacob perched his chin on the top of her head, rubbing soothing circles across her back. Her hot, wet tears drenched his shoulder as she cried harder than anything he had ever seen before, especially coming from her. She was usually so quiet and reserved, he had never seen her cry before, much less come completely undone. Guilt washed over him, recalling the past few months and noticing how she had changed. She was depressed, that much he knew, but he figured the more time passed the better it would get. She seemed to be doing better when she was with him, until he had completed the change and could no longer see her for her own safety. Of course, she hadn't known that, and couldn't know. He had to keep his explanation brief over the phone, the only time he had been permitted by Sam to speak to her. He knew he had to be harsh, otherwise she wouldn't get the message and come looking for him. Only now did he see what a mistake that had been as he held the broken girl in his arms. Him, Charlie, and all the bloodsuckers… they had all abandoned her and she couldn't handle it.
"It's okay, Bella… I'm here. I'm here and I'm not leaving. Not ever again." He hugged her tightly, hoping that his words would be enough to calm her down so they could talk. Sadly it didn't seem to help, as she continued to wail and cry into his chest. Her broken sobs were interrupted as she continued to hyperventilate, her torso heaving with effort as she couldn't seem to get enough air. He pulled her away from his shoulder, holding her gently by the shoulders.
"I need you to breathe, Bella. Take a deep breath for me. In…..and out." She looked up to his eyes, taking a few curt breaths as she tried to follow his instruction. He continued to guide her, continuing to rub her back with as much passion as possible to show his conviction. A minute or so passed before she was able to take a full inhale, hold it, and release it in a shaky breath. Using his free hand, he reached for the tissue box behind him, grabbing a handful and wiping her tears away as gently as possible. As soon as the streams of tears had relented into a slow trickle, she reached out with a shaking hand to take the tissues for herself, blowing her nose. Discarding the used paper, Bella reached out to him with another and attempted to dry the spot on his chest where her face had been.
"Don't worry about me, honey." He said softly, taking her shaking pale hand into his own. He noticed with a bit of concern how cold she felt. He set her hand into her lap briefly, suddenly standing up and crossing the room to grab a throw blanket from the other side of the room. He returned to her instantly, sitting down and pulling her into his embrace and throwing the blanket over the two of them as they lay on the couch, Bella tucked securely between the sofa and his body. Knowing the blanket and his own body heat would warm her quickly, he cradled her once again as she rested her head into the crook of his arm. In the back of his mind, he was elated that he finally had her in such an embrace, after having long dreamed of cuddling up with Bella. The thoughts were dismissed almost as instantly as they had come, knowing in the rational part of his mind that she was extremely vulnerable right now and showing him a side of her he had never seen. He had to tread carefully right now, and make sure that she was safe and cared for. He noted with even more concern that as he held her, her shoulder bones and hip bones jutted into him. He could feel the ridges of her spine and each of her ribs as he rubbed her back. She had lost a concerning amount of weight, in addition to everything else that had happened over the last few months. Jacob kicked himself again for being so foolish as to not notice.
"Thanks, Jake…" She spoke, barely a whisper, still averting his eyes. Before he would have strained his ears to hear her, but with his heightened senses he was able to hear her clear as day. He felt a deep sadness at hearing her voice, at how strained and broken she sounded.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have broken down like that…" At these words he shifted their position a bit, gently grabbing her chin so that their eyes would meet.
"It's okay, Bella. I'm here for you, I always will be. Don't be ashamed to cry." She sniffled a few times, taking that as permission to curl back into his chest and resume her crying. This time, instead of the strangled cries of anguish and the sobs that jerked her body, she was content to sniffle and quietly cry into his chest. He stroked her back gently, allowing her as much time and support as she needed before they would have to speak again. As the minutes ticked by, he faintly heard the rumbling of thunder and the downpour of rain from outside. It's gentle patter on the roof sounded, as though nature herself was crying at the sight of Bella's despair. The sound and smell of the rain soothed him, as he always thought of it like the land being cleansed and replenished, washing away all the bad things for the moment. He hoped the same effect for Bella, as it seemed she had not let any of her emotions come out in quite some time.
Bella sat in Jacob's embrace for some time, allowing the tears to flow until eventually they ceased. She sat up once again, taking another tissue from the box and wiping her face with it. Her eyes were red and puffy, and the skin of her face felt raw. She knew she had snot and tears all over herself, as well as Jacob, but he paid no mind as he smiled at her. After gathering the courage, she finally allowed herself to meet his gaze again, and felt some relief as his eyes were full of love and concern. She braced herself, knowing that now she would have to explain herself. She would have to look him in the eye and explain how his abandonment had played a role in her actions, leading her to this point. It would be a painful conversation, but after the display he had just witnessed and how much care for her he had shown, she knew that she had to be honest with him and get everything into the open. He had caught her red handed, about to throw herself from a clifftop to her death… at this point she had nothing left to hide.
"I'm sorry, Jake… for everything. I'm sorry you had to see that." Bella spoke in a hushed tone, drawing her knees up to her chest in an attempt to close herself off.
"I just don't understand, Bella… Why would you even think of doing something so horrible?"
"I just… I don't have any options left, Jake. He's gone. Everyone has left me, I'm all alone… I push everyone away and all I do is cause people pain. I can't go on knowing that I destroy the people I love."
Jacob bristled slightly at the mention of him. He had suspected that his leaving caused her depression, but to think she was so destroyed over him and that his absence would make her want to die made his blood boil. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the rage inside of him. The last thing she needed now was to see the monster within him too.
"But Bells, they've been gone for months. Why now?" He braced himself for the answer, knowing it would involve his actions as well. He deserved to feel the guilt if that is what it took to make up for it. He could find a way around Sam's order, he was sure of it… Seeing Bella like this left him no other choice, he would do anything to keep her safe. Even if it meant safe from herself.
"This is going to sound insane…" She warned, anxiously biting her lower lip as she debated how much of the truth to reveal.
"Hit me with it, Bells, it's okay. I need to know everything." He looked into her watery brown eyes, hoping that she would take him seriously and be honest with him.
"Do you remember when we walked on the beach, and you told me the legends of the Quileute tribe?" He nodded, and she continued.
"The cold ones... they're vampires. The Cullens, all of them…. They are all vampires. When Ed...when he left, it was because I'm human. I got a papercut when I was over there, and one of them lost control. He told me I didn't belong in their world, and that I wasn't good enough for him."
"I know all about the Cullens, Bells." She looked into his eyes once again, seeing the truth that they held. He took her hand in his, stroking it gently with his thumb.
"Well, since they left I've been… seeing him. Not physically, they all moved away and I can't talk to them, but I've been seeing him every time I'm in danger. He begs me not to do things that put me at risk, but… I do them anyway. Just to see him again. That's why I wanted to build the bikes…" She paused, taking a deep breath and wincing at the hurt that flashed across Jacob's face.
"But since I started spending time with you, it got better. I didn't think about it so much, and I started seeing him less. But when you… when you told me we couldn't be friends anymore, I didn't have anything else. I started to get desperate. I can't sleep, I can't eat… every moment has been me thinking of ways to make the visions come back."
"What did you do, Bella?" He spoke calmly to her, but inside his wolf side was seething with rage. If he ever saw that Cullen again he would tear him apart for doing this to her, treaty be damned.
"I stopped sleeping, for a while. The nightmares were too intense and I was too afraid to see him leaving me night after night. It didn't work though, after three days I crashed and the nightmares came back. I'd wake up screaming, every night. That's why Charlie doesn't stay at home much… He sleeps at the station most nights. He doesn't want me around."
"I'm sure that's not true, Bells. Charlie loves you. He probably just doesn't know what to do." Jacob felt tears forming in his own eyes at her words, however he refused to let them fall. She needed him to be strong now, and he wouldn't let her see how much it killed him that she felt she truly had no one.
"He told me that he wants me to move back to Florida. I've become a burden on him. I tried so hard to keep this all from him, so he wouldn't send me away. So far he hasn't noticed anything else. That I've stopped eating, that I started taking pills…" His eyebrows raised at hearing her admit she had been taking pills.
"Caffeine pills, at first… to avoid sleeping as much as I can… then it was just anything in the house. I'd take handfuls, just to hear Edward beg me not to. It never worked, though. I would just end up with a stomach ache." At this point, Bella shifted slightly away from Jacob, her eyes downcast to the floor. It was taking so much courage to admit to everything, and even more to begin rolling up her sleeve. Jacob's eyes drifted down to her arm, and he felt his heart sink at the sight. His eyes were drawn to the circular shape of what looked like a vampire's bite, feeling the wolf in him rage and fight desperately to get out and destroy whoever had done this. But then, his eyes scanned a little lower down, where he saw a small horizontal scar on her arm. It didn't look conspicuous, but given the context Jacob knew what she had done.
"I wasn't trying to...kill myself. But I thought maybe… he was always drawn to my blood, so I thought it would bring him back to stop me. It didn't, and it wasn't deep enough to do any real harm. Charlie hasn't seen it, nobody has until now. It was stupid and really hurt so I didn't try that anymore." Bella continued with her various attempts, going on about getting on a stranger's motorcycle and leading up to her riding the bikes with Jake, until the point she had climbed up to the cliff.
"I was standing on the edge when I realized it. That it wasn't real, any of it. It was just a vision of him. He wasn't there to stop me and he wasn't going to be, he had truly left me on my own. I just couldn't….cope. Everything was hitting me at once, and I just wanted it to stop. I wanted everything to stop, Jake… But then you were there, and then it went black… You must think I'm insane."
"I could never think you were insane, honey. I'm so sorry, I should have noticed what was going on. I should never have said those things to you, I never should have left you. I'm so sorry Bella." They locked eyes again, this time Bella noticing the tears in his own eyes. She could tell he felt guilty for his part in it, and she herself was swept by a wave of shame.
"I understand. Everyone else had left me, I shouldn't have expected you to stay with me and deal with all of this. I've been so stupid, Jake… expecting him to come save me. He was never going to stop me. But you were there… you did stop me. How did you know I was there?"
Truthfully, he had caught a whiff of her scent on patrol and followed it to find her. It had been in the middle of the woods, far from any trailhead, and curiosity had led him to her. He quickly thought of a white lie to tell her.
"I saw your truck, on the side of the road. I remembered that day when we saw Sam cliff diving, so I followed the trail. I made it just in time… was it him that you were talking to?"
"Yes…" She admitted, self consciously rolling up her sleeve and burying her head in her knees. "Are you going to tell Charlie?" It pained Jacob seeing her body language, as if she was hiding from him. She had finally opened up to him, and he desperately wanted to keep her from closing back up again.
"Bells, look at me." She took a shaky breath, lifting her head to meet his eyes. "I'm not going to tell anyone. It all stays between us, if you promise me one thing." Bella nodded, willing him to continue.
"Please, Bella… don't do anything like this again. Don't hurt yourself in any way. I want you to come to me if you're feeling like this, call me no matter what and I'll be there. I shouldn't have shut you out before, but I will never leave you again. I promise."
"Okay… I won't. I realized on the cliff that none of it was real. I also realized that he really must not care about me at all if he left me and would let me do those things. But Jake… now that we're talking again, why did you leave me? Why would you comfort me if you don't want to be friends with me?"
Thunder crashed loudly outside as the rain began to fall heavier, hitting the roof with intensity. Jacob took a deep breath, trying desperately to think of a loophole so he could tell her. She needed to know that this wasn't a choice, that he was bound by Sam's Alpha order to stay away from her.
"Believe me, Bella, I didn't want to. Everything I said in that call was a lie, but I had to make sure you stayed away. It's dangerous here… I'm dangerous. I had to tell you those things."
"You're not dangerous, Jake… I know you. You would never hurt me. If you lied then, then what is the truth?"
"I can't tell you, Bella. Believe me, I want to, but it's not my secret to share. I"m sworn to secrecy." Bella's eyes pleaded with him to tell her, but he could feel Sam's order firmly in place, like a brick wall stopping him from saying anything more. There was a flash of lightning outside, followed by booming thunder and the sudden cut of power from the house. Jacob stood up quickly.
"Be right back, let me check that…" He left the room to go into the back hallway, where the circuit box was. As soon as he disappeared from the room, Bella heard the sudden shout of Jacob's name, coming from outside. She looked out the window, seeing through the pouring rain the shapes of Sam, Paul, Jared, and Embry approaching the house.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place for her. Now she understood what was going on with Jacob, and why he couldn't see her. Sam had gotten to him, just like he was afraid of. Suddenly fueled by rage, Bella swiftly stood up and dashed out the door into the pouring rain.
"What did you do?!" She yelled, meeting them across the lawn and getting drenched in rain.
"What did you do to him?!" She yelled again, pushing Sam as hard as she could. He didn't move much, landing against Jared. The others bristled up against the sudden assault, but Sam held up a solid fist.
"Easy!" He commanded, halting them all from advancing on her. He looked down at her in confusion, her sudden boldness taking him aback. He was at least a head taller than her, and there was certainly no contest of strength, yet she immediately pushed him with surprising force for a human girl.
"He didn't want this!" She yelled, now standing with her shoulders squared against them. She felt no concern for her own safety, now only demanding to know what they had forced Jake to do.
"What did we do?" Paul questioned her, stepping towards her, only being halted by Sam's extended arm. "What did HE do? What did he tell you?"
"Both of you calm-" Sam's command was interrupted by Bella as she advanced on him.
"Nothing!" She spat back at him, the fury fueling her further. "He tells me NOTHING because he's scared of you!"
Paul cocked his head slightly, then instantly started laughing in her face. Bella saw red. All of this pain Sam had caused her and Jake, all because of some dumb club, and he had the audacity to laugh in her face. Without a second thought, she brought her hand up and smacked him across the face as hard as she could.
He bristled for a moment after the impact, before looking at her with rage in his expression.
"Too late now…" Embry muttered, before backing away from him with the others.
"Bella, get BACK!" Sam shouted at her. "Paul, calm down now!" His command was useless as Paul's veins began to pop out and he began to breathe deeply, seemingly trying to calm himself down. It was short lived, however, before he roared, breaking from Sam's grasp and exploding into a huge grey wolf.
Bella backed away from the creature, saliva dripping from its jaws as it advanced on her, snarling. She couldn't move properly, paralysed by fear and shock. She slowly backed away, before tripping on a stone and landing harshly on the soaking ground.
"BELLA!" She whipped her head around to see Jacob sprinting towards them, hurdling over the railing and into the rain, ripping off his shirt and slipping out of his shoes.
"Run! Jake, run!" She screamed, getting to her feet rather quickly and sprinting towards him. She had almost made it towards him, when suddenly he leaped over her, leaving the ground a man and returning it a huge, russet brown wolf.
It swung its massive head to look at her, when suddenly she felt her whole world seem to stop. It felt as if there was some electricity in the air, besides the occasional lightning. The wolf recognised it too, stopping dead in its tracks to look into her eyes. The weight of it brought Bella to her knees, dumbfounded but mesmerized by the creature's strength and beauty.
Bringing them both back into the present moment, the wolf that had been Paul snarled at the wolf that stood in Jacob's place, lunging to attack. The brown wolf roared in response, springing forward and taking the smaller grey wolf to the ground. The two wolves snapped at each other with impossibly long teeth, sending each other flying until they had wrestled themselves into the treeline.
"Get Bella inside," Sam ordered Embry and Jared, "help her warm up and answer all her questions. I'll go break them up." The pair of them nodded, before approaching her and helping her to her feet. They led her back inside the house and sat her on the couch. Bella noted briefly that Jacob had restored the power before he had rushed outside after her. Jared had ducked into the tiny kitchen, turning on the stove with a few clicks and a whoosh of the flame. She only had a second to observe, however, as Embry had returned from the hallway with clothing in his hands.
"Borrowed these from Jake, I'm sure he won't mind… Go take a hot shower, get yourself warmed up and we'll tell you everything." Bella nodded blankly, taking the clothes from his outstretched hand. It appeared to be one of Jacob's old t-shirts and a pair of baggy dark grey sweats. She didn't have the mind to protest, heading into the bathroom and starting the hot water. She peeled the cold, soaking wet clothes off of her frame, leaving them in a pile in the corner. Catching a glance at herself in the mirror, she sighed at what she saw. She looked awful, her frame so thin that she could see most of her bones protruding and the red puffiness around her eyes. Her hair was plastered to her head from the rain and her lips were turning blue with the cold. She felt embarrassed that other people had seen her like this, turning away from the mirror in frustration and stepping into the stream of hot water.
After she had sufficiently warmed up, she turned the shower off, wrapping herself into a clean towel Embry had provided for her as well. Drying herself off, she noted that she really needed to work on her appetite again so she didn't look so frail. Vampires, Werewolves, and now Skeletons… she thought bitterly to herself, chuckling at her own silent joke. She towel dried her hair to the best of her ability, before picking up the clothes that Embry had given her. Pleased to find her bra and underwear weren't as wet as she feared, she was able to get dressed without worrying so much about what the guys in the next room would think. She had to tie the drawstring of the pants tightly to keep them on her thin frame, and she took a hair tie from the counter and secured the shirt in the back so it wouldn't sag. She exited the bathroom, taking her pile of clothing and towel and sticking them in the dryer for a 30 minute cycle.
Entering the living room once more, she noted that there was a bowl of soup sitting on the table intended for her, as Jared and Embry chatted amongst themselves between the couch and the armchair.
"I hope Paul gets some teeth in him. Serve him right." Jared joked.
"No way. Jake's a natural. You see him phase on the fly? I bet you $5 Paul doesn't touch him." Embry fired back, before the both of them realized Bella had returned. Embry patted the empty seat next to him on the couch. She silently obeyed, taking a seat and picking up the bowl of what she could now see was chicken noodle soup.
"I hope that's okay, that's all Billy had. Figured it would help you warm up." Bella took a spoonful and brought it to her lips, sending Jared a timid smile.
"Thank you…" Bella's stomach was in absolute knots from the day she had endured, but after seeing her reflection and feeling the soothing warmth of the bowl in her hands, she took a breath and swallowed her discomfort with another spoonful.
"So…. wolf's out of the bag, I suppose. What do you want to know?" She smiled a bit, quickly realizing all of the Quileute members probably knew and she was the last one to know. Despite her annoyances, she was so relieved that she would finally be getting the answers she so desperately needed.
"Why did Sam tell Jacob to stay away from me?" Embry's hand reached behind his head, showing his unease that that was her first question. Jared didn't hesitate, however, looking at her with a sad expression.
"Jacob is the most recent addition to our pack. He only completed the transformation a few weeks ago. For the first while after we change, we have a very hard time controlling our emotions. It can be really dangerous to be around us if we lose our temper...like you just saw. Sam knew how close you and Jake had been getting and we're not supposed to tell any outsiders anything, and he didn't want to risk you coming down here and being in harm's way. Especially with your…. Involvement, with the bloodsuckers."
Bella stared at him, shocked that he too knew about the true nature of the Cullens. It was nice to not have such a huge secret to keep anymore, but it made her wonder what else they knew.
"So… what about now? I mean, I've told Jacob so many things today that I'm sure made him very angry, but he didn't do anything… and now that I know what's going on with him…?"
"That's Sam's call to make," Embry said from behind her. "Especially now with the impr-" He was cut off by Paul's firm gaze, silencing him in his tracks.
"The what?" She questioned, looking back and forth between both of them.
"There's…. There's some parts of this that would be better explained by Jacob himself. It's really not our place." Bella nodded in understanding, taking another sip of her soup. The broth seemed to warm her from the inside, however the noodles and chicken chunks seemed to lodge in her throat. She hadn't eaten anything for a few days at this point, her mind too consumed with her abandonment to even think of eating. She pushed herself, however, knowing that her body desperately needed the nutrients.
"Speak of the devil," Embry muttered from the kitchen, right before the door opened to reveal Sam, Jacob, and Paul. They all shook the rain from their hair, Sam going over to fill Embry and Jared in on what had happened. Paul approached Bella, offering his hand out shyly in a handshake.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I lost my cool." She thought for a moment, before returning the handshake with a genuine smile.
"It's okay… I shouldn't have slapped you."
"Not that he didn't deserve it!" Embry spouted from the kitchen suddenly. Sam suddenly clapped his hands together twice, getting the attention of everyone in the room.
"Everyone, let's head out and give them some space. Jacob, why don't you bring her around Emily's tomorrow and we can all properly get to know each other?"
"Will do, Sam. Thanks." Satisfied with his answer, everyone filed out of the tiny house into the downpour once more, leaving the two of them alone with a long conversation ahead.