Chapter 12 – Vampires - Revised
I listened to Sam carefully and as he spoke my eyes growing wider, a slightly incredulous look creeping over my face. When he had to leave to go on patrol, Jacob finished the story for him.
"So… so… hold on," I stuttered, "So let me get this straight. We exist to defend this tribe from vampires! Real living, breathing vampires!"
"Well actually," said Jacob, "They are not alive, they are the undead, let's get that straight, and they don't actually need to breathe, they can survive without oxygen. They just feign breathing when trying to blend in with humans."
"Right, ok. So then there is a clan of vegetarian vampires that live on the other side of this imaginary line that we need to stay away from because we have a peace treaty with them as long as they don't kill humans?! That sounds safe!" I exclaimed.
"Well, when you put it that way it doesn't but the Cullen's don't hunt humans as other vampires do. They hunt deer and mountain lions and stuff. And the boundary between our two lands runs along a river which acts as a natural divide between them. We don't bother them, they don't bother us, it's all good."
"Right, except for the stray murderous vampires that come walking into town and starts killing people," I said.
"They don't do it like that, they are stealthy. Our job is to track them down before they kill anyone; and if they go onto the Cullen's land, they'll get them for us," said Jacob,
"Look, I know this is a lot to take in-"
"No shit," I interrupted standing up and pacing back and forth; and I had thought me turning into a werewolf was nuts, but this, this… I thought to myself.
"I don't have to meet those murderers do I?" I asked looking at Jacob.
"Look at her, already hates them. Good girl Arianna," said Emily, walking over to us with a tray with 3 cups of coffee on it.
"Thanks, Emily," said Jacob as she sat down next to him and placed the tray on the table in front of them.
I walked over and knelt beside the table. We sat in silence for a few minutes as we made our coffee the way we liked it with the sugar and cream in pitchers on the tray; two sugars and lots of cream for me. I got up and sat on the couch and curled my legs up next to me. It felt like a week had gone by and it had only been a few hours since I had arrived at the reservation and my life had changed so drastically.
"Shit," I said, "Emily, do you have a phone?"
"Sure," she said looking a little startled as I set my mug down hurriedly, "In the kitchen on the wall".
"Thanks," I said and rushed to the kitchen.
I picked up the phone and dialed my parent's house. I fidgeted with a loose string from my sweater as I waited for one of my parents to pick up.
"Hello," said a male voice.
Thank you, Lord, it was my dad, this would be a lot easier with him on the phone!
"Hey Dad," I said.
"Arianna!" my Dad said, "You ok, you're out late tonight?"
"I'm fine Dad, I'm sorry I didn't check-in sooner," I said, genuinely apologetic because I knew how worried he could get.
"Can I run something by you?" I asked him.
"Of course," my Dad said.
"So, since I'm still unsure what I want to do in terms of school in the Fall, I started looking into internships and local jobs that would look good on a college resume," I said.
"Ah, that's my girl. Two weeks post-graduation and already doing her homework," he said, exasperated at what he thought was my, as he called it, obsession with school work.
"Talk to mom, she's the one obsessed with me going to college in the Fall," I said, "Anyhow, I found a job."
"Of course you did," he said and I could hear his proud smile through the phone, "Alright, lay it on me."
"I'm going to be part of a team researching the forests in and around the Quileute tribe's land," I said. That wasn't so far from the truth, after all, it seemed like I'd be spending a lot of time in the woods.
"The team is primarily tribe members, but some outsiders have been brought in and are allowed to stay on sight for the duration of the summer. That way I won't be spending all my money on gas to get back and forth," I continued, "That's why it took me so long to call you guys. I've been settling in and meeting the research team and so on."
"Oh wow," my Dad said, "So it's a done deal. You're all moved in and ready to work?"
"Yeah, pretty much," I said, "I would have told you sooner but I wanted to be sure I got the job first." I was crossing my fingers that he was buying this story.
"Well, if you think it will expand your horizons, I guess it's ok with me. Your mother may not be happy you just up and left though," he said.
"I'll come home and visit when I get a weekend off, I promise! Will you tell mom for me, she'll blow up the phone if I do it." I begged with him.
"Alright, I'll tell her. But if you have any issues, if anything happens, like with Vance, call 911 and then call me," he said gravely.
"Dad…" I didn't want to think about that right now, I was so happy here forgetting about the whole thing, I didn't want anything to spoil it.
"Ok, ok, I love you and I'll talk to you soon," he said.
"Love you too Daddy," I said smiling, and then hung up the phone.
Thank God that was over, and he was going to tell mom for me. I sighed in relief and walked back over to join Emily and Jacob who were still sipping their coffee and chatting; so nice and quiet here I thought to myself.