Into the Woods
By: Everleigh Allen
Chapter 26
"Well, that was fun, yet emotionally exhausting." Bella sighed. "Have the wolves left?"
"Not yet." Edward said with a frown, peeking out the window, "but they will shortly. I can hear their sensitivity with the whole situation and the confusion with what they suspect is Jake's fantasy and not reality. They are new at this mind sharing thing."
"They share one mind?"
"No. They have the ability to share their thoughts, memories, and such with each other while in wolf form. Unfortunately, they have little control of it and are unable to block certain things from the others."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning the older ones that are in relationships leave little to the imagination to the others in the pack. How they first imprinted, how that felt, what they do with their imprints and when they are thinking of them, uh, intimately it's often embellished with personal feelings. Jake's imagination, for instance, of being with you was warping between fantasy and not much reality."
"What?" Bella exclaimed with dismay, Charlie looked pale, and Jasper and Alice shared knowing looks.
Edward huffed, not really wanting to say things out loud. "They, although unwillingly, share intimate-"
"I get it. That's horrible."
"So, when Jake thinks about you," Alice snickered, "intimately, they know it and see it according to Jake's mind."
"Enough," Charlie grunted. He escaped for the kitchen and started a fresh pot of coffee as Bella watched.
Jasper and Edward stood in the living room and started speaking in a decimal that Bella couldn't hear.
It was vastly annoying.
So she turned and walked into the kitchen.
"Sorry about all the trouble having me here is causing you."
"Is there trouble with you being here? If there is I was, never aware of it." He smirked at her, but Bella gave him one of those smiles that if it was wide enough the tears would fall. Charlie could tell that his daughter was about to cry and he really didn't want her to be upset. "Hey, Bella? Can you do me a favor?"
Bella nodded.
"Try not to internalize or rationalize this whole Jake thing. None of this is your fault. You have your own free will to choose anyone- or no one- that you want to be with."
"You say that, but it doesn't feel that way." Bella scoffed, rubbing the tears that fell over her cheeks. Charlie moved toward her and wrapped his arms around his daughter.
"It may not, but nonetheless. You don't have to be anyone's girl, but my little girl. With Jake using his heritage and legends to justify his behavior and Edward sitting there all protective and worried, you just need to stop and think about what you want."
"Even if what I want is a vampire and not a werewolf?" She sobbed.
Charlie squeezed her tightly for a moment, "Even if he was an ogre or troll…" he laughed. "Even Edward is growing on me."
"He totally heard you say that," Bella giggled.
"I know." Charlie grinned. "Let me handle Jake and Billy. I will have Yorkie set up the proper paperwork through the law and if he doesn't submit to the law, then that's his own fault. He's not above any law- feelings or no feelings."
"I love you, Dad."
"Oh, Bella, you know I love you, too." He said softly and then pulled away, "And… Just be safe, you know… teenagers these days- I'm too young to be a-"
"Dad, don't- just, don't finish that thought."
"It's just that I wasn't much older than you and your mother was quite persuasive-"
"Point taken, details not needed."
"Good. So, this, uh, relationship with Edward is really happening, huh?"
"Yes."
"Bella," Charlie groaned pushing Bella away to look her in the eyes, "Maybe don't be too blinded by the amorous perfection Edward. You should keep your options open until you're older. Maybe not think of committing until older."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Really, dad? You want me to have all kinds of options?" She waved her hand at him, "On second thought, don't answer that. I need to go lay down, I think. I'll walk Edward, Alice, and Jasper out."
She escaped the kitchen as fast as possible and bid her guests' good bye, glaring at the watchful eyes lingering in the darkness of the trees.
She may or may not have flipped them off.
…
The next week and a half passed quickly and Bella and Edward spent a lot of time together in the meadow.
Jake kept a low profile, for which everyone was grateful, even though he was texting Bella from time to time.
"It hurts to be away from you," He wrote one day.
To which she would reply, "It hurts me to be close to you. Stop texting me."
He would leave her alone then, at least, for a couple days.
"I think you need a summer solstice dress." Alice interrupted Bella's day dreaming.
Bella say up and glared at her friend. "I don't. Really."
"Hey it's apparently a special day, right? I hear mommy dearest is coming. I have wire hangers and everything."
"That's funny." Bella snickered and shook her head. "She'd probably take them and make a wind catcher or something."
"Come on; let's get a move on before Edward tries to take you away from me. Undress! I have narrowed it down to two dresses I think you will like."
Bella sighed, but started to disrobe, with a smile. She wondered what it would be like to introduce her mom to her vampire boyfriend.
"Bella! Bella, please!"
The darkness of the moonlit night made the trees seem more ominous, swaying their moss covered branches in the wind. Bella ran through those trees, falling forward for a moment but she caught herself before hitting the ground.
"No, Bella, wait!"
The female voice faded in the wind as Bella zigzagged though the forest, trying to escape.
"Please Bella-" The pained feminine voice shrieked.
Bella cried out, terrified. "I can't-"
The wind whipped her hair, slapping her face and pulled at her clothes trying to stop her but she kept running, uncaring to where she was going.
"You don't understand, I need you to listen!"
"Bella, love, what is the matter?"
Bella searched for Edward, seeing his ethereal features seemingly glow silvery in the moonlight, not far in front of her.
"Edward!" Bella gasped with excitement and worry. She ran to him, embracing him, quickly. "You need to run, Edward! They're coming!"
"Who is coming? No one is here. It's just me and you," His eyes narrowed as he took in the surroundings carefully.
Bella shook her head in confusion, "I don't know, I don't know!" She cried, trying to push him to get him to move.
"What do they look like, love?" His voice was so soothing but yet her heart thundered in her chest.
"They came up from the ground, my mother, she was there…"
"Bella, you know this is all a bad dream, please wake up."
Her eyes widened, hearing the calls again but they were fading away as she grew more conscience of her reality.
"Just tell me what you remember," Edward cooed, running his cool fingers in circles over Bella's heated forehead to try and calm her down. She was shivering and he worried if she may be feverish or reacting to the dream.
"I don't remember anything." Bella frowned, closing her eyes.
"You said you were running from someone. Who was that?" Edward asked softly.
"I don't know." Bella shook her head, at a loss. "I only remember that you were there and that there were shadow-like things lifting from the shadows of the trees."
"Shadows lifted up from the ground from the shadows of the trees?"
Bella nodded, pulling the covers up over her chest as if to hide from the situation. The cool, night wind blew outside giving an ominous background to their conversation.
"Well," Edward sighed, pulling at his hair for a moment before settling down next to her. "You definitely have a flare for the dramatic."
"Thanks," Bella sighed.
"I just mean that you make my existence vastly more interesting."
"Not a good enough save." Bella frowned. "Edward, I don't know what's going on with me."
"We'll figure it all out. I'm sure that all the clues are there; we just have to put it together. Okay?"
"Okay," Bella sighed. She was mentally and physically exhausted and Edward could see from the way her eyes were batting, fighting the sleep that he was going to lose her in mere moments.
"We don't have to figure it all out tonight." Edward said as he pulled Bella across his chest and pulled the new electric blanket Alice got for them up over them. "Try to sleep. Alice says that there will be fair weather tomorrow and we want to go into the woods and have you touch some things in the forest. This was not my idea, by the way."
"Yay." Bella said sarcastically, and then yawned.
Edward chuckled, pulling the blanket over Bella's shoulders. She smiled at the way his chest vibrated and closed her eyes, melting into him and finally falling back to sleep.