January turned into February. Lily was still no closer to understanding what happened, but was beginning to think she had imagined it completely. Not the wolf, that she was very sure was real. Emily's face was proof enough that something had happened. But, with no idea how to trigger whatever it is that happened again, the girls were stuck.
On the other hand, the plants they had were returned to their rightful owners that still wanted them. Lily didn't have high hopes that they would continue to thrive, but she had done everything she could to get them healthy again.
It wasn't until she was making a solo delivery trip to Billy Black's that anything out of the ordinary had happened. It was a week or so past Valentines day when Lil had called Billy asking if he would like his orchid back. It had flourished, sprouting off into a few other shoots and starting to flower again. He seemed stressed out, but happy to hear that his flowers were doing so well. Lily decided to bring his orchids and a few extra rose clippings to plant outside to help brighten his day. She was starting to volunteer planting flowers and vegetables to anyone who would like them.
Billy had welcomed Lily at the front door once she pulled up into his drive way. He apologized for not inviting her in, but apparently Jacob had the stomach flu that was going around right now. Lily quickly waved his worries off, and asked if she could start planting the roses for him.
He looked shocked to see she had brought roses. His late wife had loved them, but after her passing he just didn't have the heart to take care of them. It hurt too much. To see that this girl, who couldn't weigh more than 90lbs soaking wet had taken the time to grab a cutting he was sure was dead, bring it back to life, and offer to replant it into his wife's garden was just too much for the older man. Tears started falling down his cheeks, causing Lily to flush.
She didn't understand what she had done. She just saw dead flowers and wanted to help as much as she could. She reached over and gave Billy as big a hug as she could providing the height difference and wheel chair. She didn't understand what was going on, but apologized profusely for having made the poor man cry. It was then his turn to wave her off, saying she couldn't have known. He tried explaining as best he could, but his throat kept closing up from emotion. She decided not to push up, asked if he wanted to join her in the garden while she planted so she would know exactly where they belonged.
Billy had been so tired of fighting phone calls from Bella all week long. She was hounding the house for news on Jacob. He liked the girl. After all, Jacob was practically in love with her and they had grown up together. But after the week Billy had experienced, this act of selfless kindness was just too much.
He gratefully accepted her offer of bringing him to the garden where his late wife used to plant her flowers. He even joined her in the dirt at one point making sure everything was done right. He hadn't gardened sense her passing. He only had the orchid because his daughter thought he needed something bright in his life. The damn thing nearly died the first week he had it. But this girl, who had done so much for the community, was able to bring back his wife's roses. It wasn't until he had managed to cut himself on a thorn that anything odd happened.
"Fuck, that hurt!" Billy black, council member of the Quileute Tribe of the La Push Reservation, Great grandson of Ephrahaim Black, was beaten back by a rose thorn. His hands had been worn with callouses from his wheelchair, and prior to that years of working with his hands. But still, this small seemingly innocent rose still managed to cut him deeply.
Without even thinking, Lily reached out to his hurt hand and took it within her own. Her hands were warm, but nowhere near the burning sensation she remembered with Emily. It felt comforting rather than painful. She quickly cleaned up Billy's cut until it stopped bleeding, thinking nothing of it. She got cut all the time while working with plants. A quick rub down and it usually stopped. Billy thanked her before she left, again for everything she had done. It wasn't until Lily was driving down the road that Billy acknowledged the cut, he once had. Not only was the cut from today healed, but his arthritis in his hands was missing too. He hadn't mentioned the light glowing of her hands while she worked in the garden, or how her eyes seem to brighten with the work. After all, his family was the least likely to judge another for having a unique talent. But he knew he couldn't keep quiet about Lilliana Rose any longer. First Emily, now him. Who else had she come in contact with? What if she got hurt doing something beyond gardening?
Bella had realized early on that she had made a mistake in coming here. With Jacob gone first with the stomach flu, then mono, and now some other random virus according to Billy she couldn't take it. She couldn't take being alone again. The void was threatening to swallow her whole again,
I had finally found it. It was the same place… but it didn't hold what I had been searching for.
The disappointment was nearly as instantaneous as the recognition. I sank down right where I was, kneeling there at the edge of the clearing, beginning to gasp.
What was the point of going any further? Nothing lingered here. Nothing more than the memories that I could have called back whenever I wanted to, if I was ever willing to endure the corresponding pain- the pain that had me now, had me cold. There was nothing special about this place without him. I wasn't exactly sure what I'd hoped to feel here, but the meadow was empty of atmosphere, empty of everything, just like everywhere else. Just like my nightmares. Mu head swirled dizzily.
At least I'd come alone. I felt a rush of thankfulness as I realized that. If I'd discovered the meadow with Jacob… well, there was no way I could have disguised the abyss I was plunging into now. How could I have explained the way I was fracturing into pieces, the way I had to curl into a ball to keep the empty hole from tearing me apart? It was so much better that I didn't have an audience.
I wouldn't have to explain to anyone why I was in such a hurry to leave, either. Jacob would have assumed, after going to so much trouble to locate the stupid place, I would want to spend more than a few seconds here. But I was already trying to find the strength to get to my feet again, forcing myself out of the ball so that I could escape. There was too much pain in this empty place to bear- I would crawl away if I had to. How lucky that I was alone!
Alone. I repeated the word with grim satisfaction as I wrenched myself to my feet despite the pain, at precisely that moment, a figure stepped out from the trees to the north, some thirty paces away.
A dizzying array of emotions shot through me in a second. The first was surprise; I was far from any trail here, and I didn't expect company. Then, as my eyes focused on the motionless figure, seeing the utter stillness, the pallid skin, a rush of piercing hope rocked through me. I suppressed it viciously, fighting against the equally sharp lash of agony as my eye continued to the face beneath the black hair, the face that wasn't the one I wanted to see. Next was fear, but it was close enough for me to know that the man facing me was no stay hiker.
And finally, in the end, recognition.
"Laurent!" I cried in surprised pleasure. It was an irrational response. I probably should have stopped at fear. It was impossible how exactly the same Laurent looked. I suppose it was very silly and human to expect some kind of change in the last year. But there was something… I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Bella?" He asked looking more astonished than I felt.
"You remember." I smiled. It was ridiculous that I should be so elated because a vampire knew my name.
He grinned. "I didn't expect to see you here." He strolled toward me; his expression bemused.
"Isn't it the other way around? I do live you. I thought you'd gone to Alaska."
He stopped about ten paces away, cocking his head to the side. His face was the most beautiful face in what felt like in an eternity. I studied his features with a strangely greedy sense of release. Here was someone I didn't have to pretend for- someone who already knew everything I could never say.
"You're right," he agreed. "I did go to Alaska. Still, I didn't expect it… when I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd moved on.
"oh." I bit my lip as the name set the raw edges of my wound throbbing. It took me a second to compose myself. Laurent waited with curious eyes.
"They did move on," I final managed to tell him.
"Hmm," he murmured. "I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a pet of theirs?" His eyes were innocent of any intended offense.
It was at that moment I realized why he looked the same- too much the same. Only good vampires had the same golden eyes of the Cullens.
I had made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. We continued to play the game of cat and mouse, with me very obviously the stupid mouse. No matter how many times I lied to convince him they were coming back, that they would know, Laurent could tell. He could tell they had left and were never coming back. As I counted the last few seconds of my life, the only thing I could think of was Edward. Edward, Edward, Edward. I was going to die. It shouldn't matter if I thought of him now. Edward, I love you.
Through my narrowed eyes, I watched as Laurent paused in the act of inhaling and whipped his head abruptly to the left. I was afraid to look away from him, to follow his glance, though he hardly needed a distraction or any other trick to overpower me. I was too amazed to feel relief when he started slowly backing away from me.
"I don't believe it," he said, his voice so low that I barely heard it.
I had to look then. My eyes scanned the meadow, searching for the interruption that had extended my life by a few seconds. At first, I saw nothing, my gaze flickered back to Laurent. He was retreating more quickly now, his eyes boring into the forest.
Then I saw it; a huge black shape eased out of the trees, quiet as a shadow, and stalked deliberately toward the vampire. It was enormous- as tall as a horse, but thicker, much more muscular. The long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder.
Why was Laurent retreating? Granted, the wolf was monstrous in size, but it was just an animal. What reason would a vampire have for fearing an animal? And Laurent was afraid. His eyes were wide with horror, just like mine.
As if in answer to my question, suddenly the mammoth wolf was not alone. Flanking it on either side, another two gigantic beasts prowled silently into the meadow. One was a deep gray, the other brown. Neither one quite as tall as the first. The gray wolf came through the trees only a few feet from me, its eyes locked on Laurent.
Suddenly, two more wolves followed, lined up in a V, like geese flying south. The rusty brown monster that shrugged through the brush last was close enough for me to touch.
The wolf closest to me, the redish brown one, turned its head slightly towards me. Its eyes were dark, nearly black, it gazed at me for a fraction of a second, the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal.
As it stared at me, I suddenly thought of Jacob- Again, with gratitude. At least I'd come here alone to this fairytale meadow filled with dark monsters. At least Jacob wasn't going to die, too. At least I wouldn't have his death on my hands.
Laurent was staring at the pack of monster wolves with unconcealed shock and fear. The first I could understand. But I was stunned when, without warning, he spun and disappeared into the trees.
He ran away.
The wolves were after him in a second, sprinting across the open grass with a few powerful bounds, snarling and snapping so loudly that my hands flew up instinctively to cover my ears. The sound faded with surprising swiftness once they disappeared into the woods.
And then I was alone again.
*All recognizable content from this chapter should take place in New Moon, chapter 10 THE MEADOW. Now that Bella has seen the wolves, it is going to start getting wild. We also finally had our first Vampire in the story! Please let me know what you guys think so far. I would appreciate it! *