"Claire I need you to calm down," Quil kept saying but Claire was not listening. Instead she was hyperventilating in the middle of the woods clinging to a book. She was frantically looking all over for the woman who was chasing her but now was not. She was listening everywhere for the growls.
"Claire!" Quil shouted this time and gently shook her. He hadn't seen her scared like this in a long time. Claire finally met his eyes and words started spilling out of her mouth.
"Emily told me to go see this lady in town to help some with my restless nights and she's been unblocking my memories but now I have way more questions then I ever wanted! What is happening? Who was that? Why were her eyes red? Why is she chasing me? Am I going to die?" Claire was now shouting until Quil places a gentle hand over her mouth. Claire stares wide eyed for a moment before quieting down. His eyes were the most comforting things to her.
"Claire, just calm down. We can talk about all of this but right now we need to go. Get on my back," Quil turned around for Claire to jump on but she didn't. After another minute of waiting Quil sighed before turning and swooping her up. Claire held onto the book tighter. They walked through the woods quietly and quickly until they arrived back at her house. Once they were inside they heard the music blaring again and knew Ben was once again too busy to focus on who was in the house.
"Claire, go change into warm clothes then we will talk," Quil was trying not to sound like a babysitter but the words came out that way. Claire didn't argue though. She went to her room and laid the book on her bed before shutting the door. She stripped out of the wet clothes and pulled on sweatpants and a tank top. She grabbed a fleece blanket from the closet and wrapped it around herself before grabbing the book again. She would not let the thing out of her sight.
"I need you to talk now Quil. No more hiding. No more secrets. Things are piecing together in my mind but I think you need to fill them in," Claire sat the book on the coffee table. Quil was on the other side of the couch so only the table was in between them. Quil was trying not to stare at the exposed skin Claire was showing off and instead focus on how everything could potentially go to hell after this conversation.
"I need you to let me talk all the way through until the end. Then you can ask questions," Quil was trying to remain calm now as he rubbed his sweaty plams on the couch. Claire nodded though and moved to get comfy on the couch. Quil listened again for the music blaring and Ben moving around in his room.
"You obviously don't remember the tribes legends because you have the book in front of us but there is a legend that says that some men from the tribe are protectors, shapeshifters, wolves. I am one of those men. Sam, Jacob, Seth, Brady, Collin, Paul, Embry, and Leah are all apart of the pack. We also use to have Jared but he doesn't come around so much now that he has kids and stopped shifting. I was sixteen when this first happened and I haven't stopped since. I probably won't for the next few years either not until... Anyways, we were all over Emily's house one afternoon after a patrol when Emily told us you and your siblings were also there. I pulled the short straw and had to sit with you in the backyard. Now, believe me when I say no sixteen year old usually wanted to play with a three year old but Claire when we locked eyes... There is something in the legends that talk about imprinting. Imprinting is what a wolf does when they meet their soulmate, to put it simply. But imprinting is whatever the other person wants. A friend, a babysitter, a lover, a brother, a no one," Quil looked up from the floor quickly to see Claire staring at him calming but the white knuckle grip on the blanket said otherwise. He continued anyways.
"I imprinted on you that day in the backyard and when everyone realized they first freaked until they remembered that imprinting can be anything that other person needs. At the time you needed a friend and a babysitter so I became that. I babysat for your parents whenever they needed. Embry also babysat when I couldn't. We played games and dug in the dirt and watched movies. We were best friends and then after a year your mother took you," Quil paused again and reached across to loosen up her grip some. He needed her to stay open minded and clear headed like she was before as a child.
"Now, the woman that you saw in the parking lot and that followed you tonight...she's apart of another legend. The cold ones. Vampires. She is a vampire and not the good kind that we've met before. She is a killer and for some reason she's after you. It's why I've been with you everyday since she first showed up. Tonight though we had to have a meeting with the council so none of us were out in the woods and she took her shot. Luckily, I got a gut feeling something was wrong and we came looking," Quil finally sat back and waited. He watched as she stared at him but it's like she wasn't there. It's like her mind was somewhere else.
"Why do you always have to run into the woods?" Claire asked one day when Quil was pushing her on a little swing set Embry had built for her.
"It's my job," Quil shrugged. He was use to Claire asking random questions so this was nothing new.
"Does it have to do with being a wolf?" Claire lowered her voice this time. She caught on that when it's low enough only him and the other boys could hear.
"It does. We protect you from red eyes," Quil leaned down to whisper into her ear and let the wind carry his words away.
"We protect you from red eyes," Claire finally mumbled snapping back with her head cocked. She met Quils eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Why is she after me?" Claire asked while leaning forward. Quil did the same until their faces were only inches apart. She remembered Ben was still home.
"We don't know yet. Everytime we almost have her she escapes. Either myself or Embry will be with you at all times until she's caught," Quil realized his mistake after he said that last sentence. Claire didn't need a babysitter anymore.
"No, no you will not. I'm going to carry on my daily activities like nothing ever happened. You guys just be close by in case," Claire knew she would feel safer with Quil around but she wouldn't admit that. She wouldn't be babysat.
"But what if we don't get to you in time because we're just close by?" Quil was now getting angry. He wanted to keep her safe. He needed to keep her safe.
"I know you'll get to me in time Quil. Remember...I'm your special person," Claire said the exact words he used from the memory Miss Sarlo showed her. She stood up and grabbed her book but left the blanket for him to use because she knew he wasn't going home after what just happened. Once in her room she sat on her bed with the book open and a notebook scribbling notes about the legends. She believed everything Quil said mainly because of the memories she had been having. She knew all the words he spoke were true whether she liked it or not. But she also needed to read more into them instead of taking the water down version.
"Knock knock, um why is Quil asleep on the couch?" Ben asked as he opened the door with dried paint all over his face and hands.
"His house is getting debugged," Claire made up a lie quickly before shrugging. Ben just nodded and shrugged back before shutting the door. She heard the shower cut on so she knew the loud music was done for the night. Claire got up quietly and grabbed an extra pillow off her bed before creeping into the living room.
"I'm awake still," Quil whispered as she laid the pillow next to him. He took it and placed it under his head, he forced himself not to inhale her scent.
"Thank you for being honest, that's all I ever wanted," Claire stared down at the man who still had his eyes closed.
"Thank you for not running away, I couldn't bare to lose you again," Quil whispered low enough to where she almost missed it. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Goodnight Quil," Claire finally said before walking back to her room and shutting the door. She moved all of the notes and book off the bed for the night before grabbing her stuffed wolf and curling up. She still hadn't received a memory of the stuffed animal but she had a feeling it came from Quil.