Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me.
Author/Note 1: This story is the sequel to Our Dawn 5. For the ones who don't know anything about Our Dawn Series, you can always read Our Dawn 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and Our Dawn Series Specials but if you don't want to bother I have a resume on my profile page. As it would be expected this is a next generation story and as such, it's focused on Jake and Leah's children.
A/Note 2: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed Our Dawn Series so far.
A/Note 3: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm sorry for my grammar and spelling. Thank you for reading.
Alpha
Book III – The Challenger
William Black
53. Sudden Visitor
"I never did anything as bold as this," Rhea told me while sitting down on top of a wood box inside the cargo hull of US Air Force Boeing T-Tanker 200. It was one of the largest aircraft I had ever seen in my life. Right now its cargo hull was practically empty giving us a better idea of its dimension. An entire baseball field could fit in there.
The others had arrived home two hours ago with Eva but unfortunately, Jean-Pierre had not agreed to lend them his jet for one final journey. Therefore, Jasper was unable to fly back to Greenland to get us which meant that we had to find another way to return to La Push.
It wasn't safe to go to the local airport because Rhea was still too unstable and volatile to travel on a commercial flight. Besides, there were no direct flights from Greenland to Washington. We would have to fly to Iceland first and then from Iceland to New York and finally from New York to Seattle. It would take us many hours and I couldn't risk Rhea to phase inside of an airplane packed with passengers.
And finally, about an hour ago, Bella had called me with instructions. We would have to go the Thule Air Base on the west coast of Greenland and board a military transportation craft that was due to fly to Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, Idaho that night.
"It's your best chance, otherwise you'll have to take a swim and cross Canada and part of the US to get home."
Those had been Bella's words. I promised we'd get there on time so I woke Rhea up and a few minutes later we were on the move. The landscape in Greenland was pretty much the same: snow, patches of green grass here and there, trees and a few mountains.
In wolf form, we took about forty minutes to reach our destination. It was pitch black when we arrived but our enhanced sight made things easy for us. It wasn't hard to locate the runway where the huge aircraft was. We waited until a group of seven militaries unloaded the cargo hull of the T-Tanker and then we got inside when no one was nearby.
Even if Rhea lost control and phased inside, she wouldn't harm the aircraft's structure because there was enough space for a whole pack to phase. Now we were waiting for the take-off.
"If you mean boarding a military craft illegally, then we're in the same boat," I said offering her a reassuring smile.
"It's not just that." She confessed. "It's everything. I've never spent the night out. I've never been abroad. I've never had to board a flight illegally." She said.
"A lot of things are going to change for you Rhea."
"Such as?"
"We're not one hundred percent humans anymore." I began. I wasn't sure if I should be the one having this conversation with her but I felt she could use more information about what she had become. "So like I told you already, our condition has to remain a secret. And you can't go to the doctors."
"Why not?"
"A blood sample will give us away. Uncle Seth and Doctor Cullen are the only doctors we can go to though you won't need them that much. Now that you're a wolf you're stronger, faster and you can heal in seconds."
"That's why you recovered so fast from that shot wound." She realized.
"Yes. I'm sorry about lying to you… but it was necessary."
"I hate liars." She whispered.
"Now that you mention that, there's something I would like you to clarify."
"What?"
"Your fiancé told me you were pregnant. Is it true?"
"No! We never slept together. I told you that." She raised her voice.
I rolled my eyes realizing she had misunderstood.
"I mean eight years ago. He told me you were pregnant eight years ago when you went to Community College."
Rhea was silent for a while.
"You said you hate liars. Now there's a chance for you to prove that you're not one." I added.
"I've never spoken to Art about this. You're making this up."
"He said he spoke to a friend of yours. Your roommate… Chrissy, I think…"
"He wouldn't do that behind my back."
"Well, he did. Have you ever considered that Art might not be the guy you think he is? He went to the police to get me arrested."
Rhea got up and started to pace back and forth.
"Art's in Seattle."
"He went to La Push when he learned about your disappearance. Now he's back in Seattle because my friend is sending him text messages pretending to be you, but I don't think he'll stay there for much longer." I explained. "Now, don't change the subject."
"I told you the truth, William. I don't know if I got pregnant or not because the pregnancy test was purple." She said calmly. "I assumed everything was all right and went to College. I wasn't worried when my period didn't come because I was never regular and I had been under a lot of stress after moving out. I had left my mother to live in a dorm where I had almost no friends. It was natural to feel uneasy and nervous. Then one night I felt cramps and I had a small hemorrhage. Chrissy helped me to clean up and gave me some meds. Two days later I was fine. I never went to the doctors or spoke to anyone about it except for Chrissy. She concluded that either I had had a miscarriage or it was just my period. I decided to believe it was the latter but I will never know for sure. End of story."
It was my turn to remain in silence. Rhea went back to her place to sit down. Without noticing, the aircraft had started the engines and we were already flying.
"You should've told me."
"Right…" She laughed. "That would be the joke of the year!"
"I wouldn't have joked about that!"
"You made perfectly clear that you didn't give a shit about me. You told me you only slept with me because I had offered myself to you and because you were drunk. You told me I was ugly and boring and that you didn't want to see me again. Do you really think I was going to call you after having cramps and a bleeding? One humiliation was enough."
"Okay, I understand your point of view… but at least you should've gone to the doctors." I said. "That way you'd know what was going on."
"I wanted to forget about you and that night! If I went to the doctors and they confirmed I had lost a child, your child, I would've never been able to move on!" She half-yelled.
"Okay… Okay… don't get upset. We're already flying." I told her when I noticed she was slightly trembling. "Please, calm down."
Fortunately, she regained control over her actions and her tremors stopped.
"You won't be able to go home for a while. You're too volatile and you can accidentally hurt your family."
Rhea looked at me with sad eyes.
"Don't worry… my parents will help." I added.
"I can't stay in your house."
"I know. I'll sort it out."
My words were meant to comfort Rhea but I knew she needed a lot more to be convinced that everything was going to be all right.
"For all it's worth… I really am sorry for what I did to you." I said and waited for her reaction. When she didn't say anything I continued. "Pregnant or not, you shouldn't have gone through that alone and I was an asshole. But I'll make up to you one day. I promise."
Rhea turned her head around so I couldn't watch her cry but, as she would soon learn, we could smell tears.
xxxxxxxxxxx
The familiar landscape of the state of Idaho worked wonders on Rhea's mood even though it was pitch dark when we arrived. She became instantly happier upon realizing we were only a few hours away from La Push. We hadn't spoken much for the rest of the flight so I only told her the plan after the landing.
"I can't jump that high!" Rhea exclaimed when I told her we would have to jump over the huge cargo door.
"Of course you can, you're a wolf now."
In the end, it was actually easier than we thought. The men who were supposed to refill the cargo of the aircraft opened the door and went to a small compound to have a meal and a few drinks. We didn't have to jump or even hide from anyone.
At that hour only a hand full of people was at the airport plus the staff. They watched us coming from the runway but didn't approach any of us so we exited the airport quietly. I immediately spotted Jasper's car outside. It was a dark blue Mercedes class 9 from last year.
"What are we going to do now? Walk home all the way from Idaho?" Rhea asked me with a hint of irony.
"There's no need. We can steal a car… That Mercedes over there looks fast enough." I joked. Rhea watched me horrified.
"I'm not going to steal a car!" She argued. "Are you serious?"
"I was joking… Come on!" I pulled Rhea by the hand and we approached Jasper's car. He got out of the vehicle to greet us.
"Welcome back Will." He said smiling. "You must be Rhea."
Rhea accepted Jasper's hand for a quick handshake but she wrinkled her nose.
"I'm sorry we had to leave you behind but I was afraid my power wouldn't be enough to appease both Rhea and Eva during a one-hour flight." Jasper apologized.
"He smells funny," Rhea commented. Jasper laughed, not taking her words as an insult.
"Did something happen?" I asked. I was expecting Bella to be the one picking us up, not Jasper because Jasper would be a lot more useful at home, watching over Eva and making sure she was calm enough to cooperate with us.
"Sort of."
"You can wait inside the car," I told Rhea since it was obvious that Jasper wanted to have a word with me in private.
"The car smells funny too." She whined while she opened the back door and sat down. "I don't think we should go with him. I might throw up and…"
I closed the car door and turned to Jasper.
"What's going on?"
"Eva's dead." He whispered making sure his voice was too low for even Rhea to listen.
"What? How did that happen?"
"After learning everything we could from her, we let her go. We told her to avoid going into your lands, but she didn't listen. Both packs chased her and killed her. We don't know what will happen now since the Red Circle doesn't enjoy losing assets but given the fact that Eva was a member of the European branch, maybe they'll let it pass."
"What did you find out?"
"Nothing much…" Jasper said in a resigned tone. "She never met with her clients and she wasn't paid so we can't even follow the money."
"This was all for nothing then. I mean we can't prove the Volturi are involved."
"We don't believe it's the Volturi. Aro and Caius are still in Mazzolla."
I shrugged. I had a feeling that the Volturi had something to do with this. I just lacked evidence.
"Who killed Eva?"
"Quil burned her body but Isaac was the one to rip her apart."
"Isaac?" I was a little bit impressed. My baby brother was growing up fast and he was becoming a pretty good fighter.
"His first killing," Jasper whispered. "Poor kid."
"Did he get hurt?"
"No. But your first kill remains on your mind for years. I'm sure you still remember the first vampire you killed."
"Yeah, I do but I don't regret it."
"Not all people are like you, Will."
"Obviously," I answered getting inside the car.
It was a complicated ride home. Rhea wasn't used to spending time with vampires and even though she didn't show any aggressiveness towards Jasper she was completely disgusted by his scent. We had to stop almost a dozen times so she could get out of the vehicle and breathe some fresh air.
She wasn't pleased when I took her to the Vacant House and she was even less pleased when I told her to stay put while I sorted things out. Luckily she listened to me after making me promise that I wouldn't be long and that I would get a cell phone so she could call her mother.
I wanted to go straight home, have a shower and some sleep but I couldn't. I had things to take care of and so I ended up making a stop at Aunt Rachel's house. The house was empty except for the person I wanted to talk to. Knowing that the back door was always open, I went inside and found him snoring on the living room's couch.
I grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and poured it on EJ's face. He woke up immediately.
"What the fuck!" He growled trying to make out what had just happened. "I've fixed the damn window!"
"What window?" I asked looking down at him. That's when he realized I wasn't Aunt Rachel neither Uncle Paul.
"What the hell are you doing here Will?"
"That's a nice tattoo you have there, cos."
"Shut the funk up. You tricked me!"
"Did it hurt?"
"No."
"What's the problem then?"
"The problem is that you could've told us we wouldn't feel anything."
"And miss the opportunity to humiliate you?" I grinned. "No way. You acted like a little girl. You almost cried. It was deliciously hilarious."
"You're an asshole."
I laughed at his insult.
"So… Danny told me you'll have to move back here soon."
"I'll talk to the guys. I'll figure something out."
"They don't want you anymore. They can't trust you now that your father ruined their business."
"You don't know anything about me or my life." EJ got up from the couch to face me.
"Actually, I do. I know a lot more than you think and that's why I have a proposition for you."
"A proposition?" He inquired a bit curious.
"I suppose you don't want to move back here with your parents, right?"
EJ nodded.
"The Vacant House is available at the moment. You've stayed there before, so I don't see a problem if you move there for a while. What do you say?"
"Do you really think they'll let me stay there after what we did?"
During a fight, EJ and I had destroyed part of the Vacant House but we had fixed it already.
"Leave that to me. Go pack your stuff, I have other shit to do."
"What do you want in return?" He asked knowing I wasn't doing this out of kindness.
"You won't live in the Vacant House alone."
"I don't need you babysitting me!" He argued immediately.
"I'm not staying there. Rhea is." I explained. "And I need you to put an eye on her when I'm not around."
"Rhea? You mean Rhea White? The girl you nailed at the beach and that was taken by a vampire?"
"Yes, that Rhea." I hissed. "And stop grinning or I'll kick your ass."
"I always thought you hated her. You used to call her a slut."
"She's not a slut and I never hated her."
"Is she back?"
"Yes."
"And you need me to babysit her?"
"Yes."
"So I assume you finally told your girlfriend everything about us."
"I didn't have to. Rhea's a wolf too."
That caught EJ's attention.
"Seriously?" He asked. "But she's a girl…"
"I'm aware of that."
"Well, I guess I can put an eye on her for you, cos." EJ smiled mischievously. "She'll be safe."
"If you touch her, I'll kill you," I growled.
"I'm going to pack my shit. I have a feeling I'm going to love my new house!" He exclaimed happily.
I just hoped I was doing the right thing.
xxxxxxxxxx
I had left my cousin with Rhea at the Vacant House less than fifteen minutes ago but I was already regretting my decision.
What if he tried something funny? Rhea wasn't as pretty as Harry's girlfriend but she was still attractive. Besides EJ would do anything in his power to provoke me since we weren't in the best terms yet. And I was a hundred percent sure that he would try to flirt with my girl.
I wanted to go back but I ought to speak to my parents. Mom was on patrol duty so I met dad at Granddad Billy's house since he was having a meeting with Sam that night. I was surprised to see that they were not alone in the living room. Besides dad and Sam, more people were present such as Emily, Ella, Jay, Quil and a young girl I had never seen before.
Dad interrupted Sam's speech when he acknowledged my presence and came to hug me. I always felt awkward in moments like this but I knew he must've been worried about me.
"I've heard you managed to bring Rhea back." He said. I had asked Edward to call my parents when they left with Eva hours ago.
"I did," I confirmed. "It wasn't as easy as I thought but she's here now."
"Where?" Sam asked. "You didn't take her home, did you?"
"Of course not. I told her that her family can't know she's back so I took her to the Vacant House. She's staying there for a while."
Everyone nodded. Few people ventured into the farthest lands of the Uley's property so Rhea should be relatively safe in there.
"I told her you and mom would talk to her soon," I added.
"We will, but not now. We have things to discuss with Dana, who has just arrived with important news."
I watched the teenage girl who was sitting down on a chair next to the fireplace. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a black shirt, and a brown jacket. She was thin and petite. Her long black hair reached her waist and her eyes were white.
She's blind. I concluded and I felt a sudden chill up my spine when she turned her head to me.
"The challenger is here." She whispered. "You're way stronger than I imagined, William Black."
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A/Note: Nothing much happened in this chapter and I'm sorry if things are getting boring but I'm taking this slow because soon Dana's part in this story will be more important and I have to make sure you all understand what's going to happen. Thanks for bearing with me.
Karisan