Everything fell into a routine around La Push for everyone. Claire worked hard at the bakery and was eventually allowed to start making the cookies in the morning before the shop opened. Quil came around three times a week with some excuse about Emily asked him to drop something off or something needed to be fixed around the house no one else noticed. Quil spent a whole Sunday once fixing the hot water heater when it wasn't even broken just to hang out with Claire. Ben was holding himself in his room working on some new pieces that he had to have absolute peace during the process. Everyone was finally feeling normal again. Claire hadn't had any more memories. Their mother was leaving them alone finally and Sarah was even talking to them on a regular basis to check in. It was Monday morning in late January and Claire was manning the register while Emily worked on a new recipe in the back. It was a quiet stormy day so it was really Claire up front by herself while Emily asked her to try a cookie or a brownie she just made. All delicious. Except something felt off about today. Something felt weird.
"Hey Claire! Go ahead and flip the sign to close. I don't think anyone is going to be coming in with this down pour!" Emily shouted up front as she started taking the last batch of cookies out the oven. She was trying to make a s'mores cookie and it was turning out to be a bit more difficult then she anticipated. Claire jumped the counter and went to lock the door and flip the sign when she noticed someone outside in the middle of the lot. The person was drenched and staring at the ground. Claire opened the door and stepped out, she wrapped her arms around herself from the chilly air.
"Hey, you okay?" Claire called out not wanting to stray too far from the door incase she had to bolt inside from this person. Her stomach was uneasy. The person said nothing.
"Hello?" Claire called out again. Still no answer. She went to go move closer but she only got a few steps when the person looked up. Red eyes was all Claire could see. Red eyes staring her down. Red eyes that made goosebumps appear on her arms. Red eyes that made her want to scream but couldn't.
"Claire! Get back inside!" Embry shouted suddenly running from the tree line. Claire looked over with panic on her face. She was about to call back out for him to stay back but before she could she heard growls from the woods. Low demonic wolf growls. Growls that rang bells in Claire's mind somewhere.
"Claire, lets go," Embry was now next to her while still eyeing the stranger. He couldn't turn his back because he was scared of what would happened. He was in a vulnerable position right now. He knew he had to get Claire away and inside safely but he also he if the vampire were to lunge at them that he would phase and probably kill Claire. In which Quil would kill me if the vampire didn't. Growls sounded again and this time they sounded closer but Claire still couldn't see them.
"Maybe next time," the stranger finally talked in a nasally voice which made Claire jump back. Somehow when the woman was more silent it made her less scared, now she had a voice which made everything more real and less nightmare-ish. The woman was gone the next time Claire blinked. She blinked again and still nothing. She blinked again and again and again. Where did she go? What were those growls? Was she just imagining it all? She looked next to her to see Embry so she was definitely not imagining anything.
"Come on, I'll drive you home," Embry gently placed his hand on Claire to steer her back inside. Claire walked silently and lightly. Her mind was ringing. Something was trying to break through the wall but it wasn't strong enough yet. Claire grabbed her purse from behind the counter and the ziplock bag of money Emily had laid on the counter.
"Stay here, I'm going to tell Emily I'm driving you," Embry walked backwards into the back. He didn't want to take his eyes off of Claire. If anything happened to her it would be the end of the world.
"Oh, Embry? What are you doing here?" Emily asked as she looked up from the computer in the office. She put down the water bottle in her hand when she saw the serious look on the mans face.
"Sam is okay, him and Quil along with Seth are all chasing a vampire that was just outside. Leah is waiting in the woods now to watch you. Claire saw it but I don't think she knows what she saw. I'm going to take her home though," Embry spoke quietly and kept peaking back to see Claire's head still by the counter. Emily nodded before taking a deep breath. They were all scared of the day Claire remembered the big secret. It could be any minute now. Embry squeezed Emily's shoulder before returning back up front to see Claire staring out the window, she was studying the parking lot.
"Come on, it's time to go," Embry gently said before leading her outside to Emily's car. Leah would stay with Emily until Embry got back with the car and Quil would most likely be at Claire's house before they even got there. Once they got in the car Claire started.
"Who was that? Where did you come from? Why are you just in shorts? What were those sounds? You heard them right? Where's Emily? Is she safe there? You should turn back and get her too," Claire was talking quickly and Embry almost couldn't keep up. She did this as a kid too whenever something bad was going on around the pack. She always caught on to things, it's why they had to tell her the secret in the first place back then.
"Breath Claire, everything is okay. That was a bad person, I can't explain much farther it's not my job. I came from the woods and the shorts thing is a norm by now don't you think? I heard those sounds too and no, I can't talk about them either. Emily is safe, Leah is with her until I bring the car back," Embry tried his best to answer her questions. He had a duty to her like everyone else. Imprint was family, sure, but Claire meant more then that.
"Then whose job is it to tell me?" Claire had flames starting in her eyes. She knew something bigger was going on and that she was being left out of the loop and she hated it. She knew something was up a few weeks ago when Quil was over on a Sunday fixing the creaky doors that bothered nobody when a howl cut through the air and he made a lame excuse about leaving his stove on. Before Embry could talk though Claire held her hand up to stop him, she knew who she had to talk to about everything. Quil.
"Look, it's just for your own protection," Embry finally said as he turned into her driveway. He saw Quil sitting on the steps already, he knew that he would check on her first thing. Embry could only hope they caught the vampire.
"Thanks for the ride, I do appreciate that. Now go check on Emily," Claire grabbed her belongings before getting out of the car. She walked the short distance to the steps and stopped when she saw Quil. He was also just in shorts and he had a serious look on his face. The look was one she was not use to seeing.
"Come inside, I'll make you tea or whatever good hosts do," Claire managed to get a small smile out of him when she talked. He was dreading when she remembered and no longer wanted to talk to him but for now he would take it day by day. He would always embrace her presence. He followed her inside the house and to the kitchen. They both could hear Ben blaring music in his room so they knew they were safe to talk.
"So...Embry said you're the man with the answers," Claire spoke as she filled the tea kettle with water and sat it on the stove to boil. She didn't bother to look at Quil, she knew his face was tense again.
"I am but...not yet Claire," Quil knew she might fight back on this but he also knew she might just accept the answer. He studied her movements as he waited for her to speak again. He watched as she pulled out two packets of mint tea from a white jar on the counter. He watched as she pulled down two clean mugs from the cabinet and set them down. She was silent though. She was processing.
"Then when Quil? I know something is going on. I mean, I can feel it. I went to go just lock up today when I saw that woman and...," Claire paused as she now took the whistling kettle off the heat and poured the water into the mugs with the tea bags. She was still turned away. She didn't want him to see her eyes were wide and wild. "I saw the woman and I heard the growls. Embry was across the lot then next to me. Then I blinked and the woman was gone. I can feel my mind clawing to remember something but I just can't," Claire places the mug in front of Quil before sighing. Quil and her had become friends over the last few months since she's been back.
"Give me until your birthday. Can you wait that long?" Quil finally asked without looking at her. Instead he stared into his mug almost now empty mug. Her birthday was in May. It was January. He knew it was asking a lot for her to wait until May but he also knew it was a lot on him to tell again. Telling the secret to a toddler was one thing. Telling the secret to an adult will be another.
"My birthday, May 8th by 11:59pm or else I'm going to find out myself," Claire held her hand out for him to shake. Quil hesitated only for a moment before shaking it. He felt like he just sold his soul to the devil.