I'm sorry this week was a bit hectic so I wasn't able to write a single word of this story. Now, in return, you get 2 chapter's worth in one day/chapter so I suppose you have nothing to complain about ;)
If you find something to criticise, nevertheless, let me know in your reviews. Do that even if you've got something nice to say… ESPECIALLY if you've got something nice to say! ;D
Chapter 9: LaPush
…
My eyes teared up and I hugged Carlisle without thinking while holding them back, they were tears of both pain and joy but I wasn't going to let them fall. A content smile spread on my face as the surprised vampire hugged me back in his cold arms soothing my heated body from the tears that never fell.
"Thank you." I managed to say before squeezing him even tighter.
…
We talked the rest of that day; Carlisle told me a bit about his past and let me tell you it's very different when you hear it from a real person than reading it in a book/script or acting for the movie or seeing one for that matter. Then everyone slowly returned to the house assuming we finished with the interrogation and Edward took me home where I promptly went to sleep. It might not have seemed that way but meeting the whole Cullen family was quite exhausting and my brains were desperate for a goodnight's sleep.
Of course that was too much to ask… I half expected Edward to show up in my room like he did with Bella and I dreaded it not because it was creepy – we're talking about vampires here, same rules don't apply, but because I wouldn't be able to speak; I did just spent the entire day talking and talking and my brain felt like a useless mush. But alas he did not visit me (yet) or any of his family for that matter. Instead my brains worked themselves over the edge of sanity and graced me with small glimpses of their pasts like I was the one living it. Talking about exhausting… and crazy masochistically sadistic (or sadistically masochistic if you prefer) brains! Uf…
First I was assaulted with images of what Carlisle told me about himself; glimpses of him with the Volturi and working as a doctor. Then it all took a turn and I witnessed what must've been a bit of his human life; He had a strict father who dedicated his life to 'ridding the world of evil' which entailed hunting witches, werewolves and vampires, but mostly killing innocent humans in the process. Carlisle felt much remorse for the killings and when his father was too old to lead the raids he took them over but actually worked his ass off to find the real monsters instead of listening and acting on pure rumours like his father.
Then I was suddenly lying on a bed in a strange and old hospital with many other patients all around me. I was confused at first because it all changed so quickly but when I saw Carlisle walk past my bed I came to the conclusion I was Edward at the moment, dying of Spanish influenza epidemic.
Next I was running around the field on a sunny day and playing 'hide and seek' with my friends. We ran far from our homes and jumped over the small creek to continue our chasing into the forest. I was very confused with this one until I heard one of my friends call me by my name; Esme. How strange… she was a very happy and lively child for sure.
Right after I heard the name it all changed again; now I was signing myself up for the army turning on my best charm so they wouldn't stop me because of my age. This is what I wanted to do; I felt the promise of battle call to me, the promise to make a difference to my country. I felt it my calling to become a part of Confederate army and do my part in ensuring the future to be brighter. Even if I wasn't yet 17 it would kill me to wait any longer to fulfil my calling… I must be Jasper now. This was confirmed not a moment later when I wrote down his name at the base of some military contract.
The scene changed again an I thought I was still Jasper for a moment, because I was laughing with other guys and played cards and drinking something strong that burned my throat in a pleasant way; wasn't it a sort of ritual for soldiers to say goodbye like this before going to war? But I was proven wrong when a gorgeous woman came to me, sat on my lap and purred into my ear: "Emmett, honey, you left me yesterday without saying goodbye…" She trailed off while nibbling on my earlobe causing our company to emit quite a few wolf whistles.
And the scene changed again as I was picking up my groceries from the floor while three local boys taunted me and called me a freak and a witch. I felt my eyes well up with tears of sadness, shame and anger as I hugged the groceries closer to me and run away to my home. I learned a long time ago it was best to not respond to the people in my town when they directed their razor sharp tongues on me. "Mary Alice! What have you done to the groceries this time?" Came a screeching voice of my stepmother.
Before I could process what I've just saw I was standing in front of a very handsome young man dressed in fine robes showing his high status and holding a bouquet of flowers for me as he announced his intentions of courting me. I felt flattered that he chose me of all people and accepted the flowers with grace while my father smiled proudly at me. "Rosalie Lillian Hale, it is an honour." The most eligible bachelor in town said. I can't remember if I dreamt anything after that to which I was grateful.
Next day I woke up early despite my confusing dreams and got ready to spend my day at the La Push beach. I decided not to dwell on what I saw and wrote it all off as a fluke caused by what Carlisle told me yesterday plus what I knew about all of them from reading the books and talking to Stephenie Meyer. The sun really did show itself today and I was looking forward to the relaxing day in front of me. I drove my truck to Mike's store where we all agreed to meet after a healthy breakfast and packing my backpack.
It was just after ten when I pulled in front of it and greeted the gathered crowd of Bella's friends. Mike seamed especially excited to see me, though Eric didn't lack in his enthusiasm either. One glance in Jessica's direction told me she picked up on the brightened smile I was receiving from Mike, her date to the ball, and figured it'd be safer if I sat with Eric. He looked like he wanted to talk to me and I didn't have to guess much to figure what about.
"So have you decided on the dress yet?"
"Sorry, Eric. I haven't had the time to go looking yet."
"Oh." I saw his face fall in disappointment so I continued with the first thought that popped into my mind. And almost before I opened my mouth I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
"But I was thinking I'd go looking tomorrow. I'll ask Alice for help, she's sort of like a fashion maniac." I pulled my phone out while speaking and read the message I got. I give you one chance to guess who texted me…
Alright, ready to see if you got it?
I smiled with mirth as I read through it. I mean who else…
Of course I'll go shopping with you! Pick you up at seven; it'll be a long day. Oh and wear something simple so I won't have to wait too long before you change out of it.
I was about to reply when I got another one:
You're welcome and absolutely right; I love dictating people's fashion sense!
And another one:
And no, there's no point in waiting for your message before replying. Allow me to abuse my future-seeing powers on you while I can. And no I won't apologise for it.
I wasn't even sure if I wanted to reply this time. She was just so hyper… I was starting to see what Bella was dreading so much in the books. But a small detail caught my attention and I decided to address it. Of course I didn't have to write a single word…
It's kind of complicated. I'll tell you tomorrow. Now focus on your ball date.
I sighted and looked up to meet the curious eyes of Eric.
"So who was texting you so much right now?" I wasn't sure but I thought I detected a bit of jealousy in his voice. Boys…
"Alice," I replied honestly, "she just agreed on our shopping trip."
"I thought you said you'll ask her?" He asked confused.
"I did… I meant to say I'll ask her again. I guess I won't have to…" I twisted my words from before a bit to get rid of any suspicion.
"You don't sound very enthusiastic about it." He commented in what he hoped to be offhanded manner. It wasn't really.
"Well I'm slightly scared of it to be honest… she's… when you put her in a cloth store she's like the Devil in Hell; she rules over it." I tried to explain her change the best I could. I think I did a pretty good job when I was met with a stunned silence and then the whole car laughing.
"So what colour do you suggest?" I asked him so he would feel included. I knew it'd be up to Alice in the end… He gave me a serious onceover in thought before answering. I think any girl would appreciate his care with his answer; like it really mattered to him.
"I think blue would bring out your eyes really nicely…" He finally answered a bit shyly and scratched the back of his neck. In return I gave him a big smile. That was just so sweet of him. He was really making an effort.
"Thanks, Eric. I'll bring the message to the shopping devil and we'll see what she'll put me in." I promised just as we pulled in on the beach.
Once we all got out we followed Mike who led us to a fireplace that has obviously been used many times before and as we made ourselves comfortable around it some of the boys went to gather the wood to light the fire with. We made some small talk and soon blue fire was burning in front of us. I was told it was because of the salt in the drift wood or something like that. We all agreed it was beautiful.
Soon some of us decided it was warm enough to squeeze into neoprene and go swimming, though it was still too cold to do so in just swimming suits. Those of us who decided to do that, yes I was one of them; I meant what I said to Carlisle, divided on males and females and we each went behind a separate car to change our clothes. I was grateful I already had my bikini on so I just stripped quickly and pulled on my neoprene. I had to really put an effort to find it in Bella's closet and was grateful it fit me.
I had a great time even if the water was really cold. I don't think I could've gone in without the tight neoprene warming up my body. Someone even brought a boll which we passed around splashing the next person if they failed to catch it above water. Then we played war on each other's backs; I was teamed up with Tylor against Mike and Jessica. We laughed at the boys who did the most of the battling while the two of us mostly chatted and helped each other keep our balance on the unsteady shoulders. From time to time one of the boys managed to get an upper hand on the other which resulted in one of us getting underwater while the other pair laughed at us.
After a few hours we got hungry (and the water became a bit too cold) and we joined the rest of the group at the fire to warm up and the boys started on lunch. I was really having fun; the genuine kind of fun that I hadn't had since I was dragged into this world. I was playing around and wasn't snapping cheeky remarks at anyone. Like with the Cullens I was just making jokes. That's not to say everyone thought they were funny, but my intent wasn't to push them away. It felt like I was starting to enjoy my predicament and I wasn't sure how to feel about that but since I was feeling better than before, when I was quite morbid if I say so myself, and that had to be a good thing, right?
At the same time I felt like I was lying to myself; this world might look real but I often (too often) felt like I was deluded and it was all happening in my mind. I was probably at a mental hospital at the moment rocking in my bed pretending I was somewhere else. If that was the truth, did I even want to go back to that world? I mean… there had to be a reason I went coo-coo, right? That means this imagination is a lot better than the reality so did I really want to go back or should I just let go and see where this leads me?
Then again if this is only in my head and something happens to me… wouldn't that be only in my head too? I felt this thought give me courage to do things I never would in the real world. I felt like I wanted to explore everything! I felt unstoppable. And it gave me a rush of power I was lacking since I realised I couldn't just wake up where I fell asleep that day… I dared to do reckless things. No, I craved the challenge of a dare.
Immediately I remembered how I felt yesterday when I was looking in Alice's eyes and realised where I could get that; I saw the challenging look she was giving me with that dark spark that sent a thrill of danger and excitement through my body. I knew what she was and I knew what she could do. Heck, I knew she was deeply inhaling my scent before she stopped herself and I felt disappointment when she pulled back and leashed the beast inside her. I wanted to see what would happen when she let go.
In any normal circumstances; if I was in my reality or even if I was completely sane to be honest, I would've run the other was from real vampires. No matter how romantically they were depicted in modern world, they were still the rightful predators and we, humans, were their unsuspecting pray. The reasonable part of my brain, that one that cared for my survival even in imaginary worlds… well maybe I should call it instinct, but that spot is reserved for the pull I felt towards those dark eyes I saw in the car, so yeah… the reasonable part of my brain would've make sure I stayed clear of the danger even if they claimed to be vegetarian.
I cracked a smile at that; the irony never ceased to amuse me.
Precaution would've been the first on my mind. Even if you're dealing with tamed pets you always reserve a tiny bit of precaution; they aren't toys after all and can still click and bite you or something. But I was completely throwing myself at vampires and actually felt the need to provoke that leashed beast inside them. Was I stupid? No. I was simply going crazy from being torn away from my world and dumped here. My growing insanity came as a blessing that set me free from this cage.
I was thrown out of my musings when Jessica leaned towards me and whispered:
"Look at those hoties!" I heard the appreciation in her voice and when I followed her gaze I saw why; a group of very nicely built and tanned boys was purposefully moving towards the cliffs quite a bit further along the beach. They weren't so far away yet and I managed to see they all had a tribal tattoo in their shoulder; those must be the current wolf pack of the reserve… at that a realisation dawned on me; there weren't just vampires in this world, but werewolves too!
And as the faith would have it a group of three future shifters was making their way towards our campfire. Of course they were just puppies for now, but once they began to shift they'll grow just as much as the ones who were going cliff-jumping right now. Not to mention they'll be turning into wolves regularly. For some reason the idea of really seeing someone turn into a wolf was far stranger to me than having a vampire looking with those hungry eyes even if the reverse should be the case.
"Hi, Bells!" A copy of Taylor with longer hair greeted me. Oh, right… its Jacob here. Jacob Black sat down on the other side of me and flashed one of his wide smiles. "We heard some kids came here and we came to say hi."
"Oooh…" I dragged out "so if we" I made a circling motion including all of our group in it "are kids, then what are you?" I pointed at him. After all he was two years younger than Bella and a few more than me. Who was he calling a kid?
"Woah there," he lifted his hands in surrender, "it wasn't meant as an insult, I was just repeating the words I heard." He defended himself.
"Right, so I guess you won't mind if I call you a puppy?" I think wolf pup would be too conspicuous, but that was how some of the cast joked about the shifters… so this is me repeating the words too. He cocked his head to the side in a perfect imitation of how he was just described.
"Why would you call me that?" He asked in puzzlement.
"That's for me to know and you to find out… eventually." I replied with a grin and a wink which he returned subconsciously as his friends found a spot to sit in around the fire. I had to admit they had the perfect timing as the food was ready and we all dug in.
I received some pointed looks from Jessica promising a questioning later and some jealous ones from Mike and Eric as I made small talk with Jacob. He told me he builds cars now and that he was the one who fixed my truck, which I thanked him for and asked if I could see what he's working on now. Of course he agreed and we exchanged numbers so I could contact him from my phone instead of Charlie's and he could do the same. He also talked about his father and his two older sisters, Rachel and Rebeca, reminding me Bella played with them as a kid.
After we were all stuffed full he introduced me to his two best friends, Embry Call and Quil Ateara. They were both fun and easy-going and we got along really well. Who would've thought I'd get phone numbers of three wolf pups in one go with promises of meeting again soon. It was still weird knowing they will soon shift into wolves but as I talked and joked with them I managed to look past that, forgetting it in our heated debate and then remembering again when they said or done something that reminded me of a dog. It was the final wakeup call when they decided to share their tribe legends with us… they really were werewolves.
They all laughed the legends off and turned the conversation on other more important things like school and parties. Mike jumped at the chance at organising another trip similar to this one and joining forces with the reservation kids. From what I could make out it'll be after the school's over so we can 'properly' celebrate summer.
"So what's up with you and that reserve kid?" Jessica asked while boys talked among each other about who knows what.
"You mean Jacob?" I wanted to confirm. I got a serious nod from her. "When I was little I used to play with his sisters a lot when my dad visited his. I guess you could say he's a family friend."
"Oh. I thought you two had a history or something." She sounded disappointed until her eyes brightened and she asked, "did you?"
"No, sorry. No romance there; past or other ways." I confirmed her fears and her shoulders slumped. Why was she so intent on finding my past romances, again?
"I bet that's not how he sees it." Cut in Lauren with a snobbish voice that just rubbed me the wrong way. "I'm afraid he'll have to compete with Edward Cullen, though. That's where you were yesterday, right?"
"What of the Cullens?" Asked Jacob, his attention suddenly shifting back to us.
"Lauren, here, is a bit jealous I talked to them and se drew the conclusion I'm dating Edward now." I elaborated for his sake.
"That's putting it lightly; you skipped school with him yesterday." She wouldn't back down. "You move quick Bella, already let him in your pants. Aren't you afraid he'll lose interest now?"
There was a moment of quiet as all eyes fell an me. Then I laughed, I couldn't help myself. I almost fell from laughing before I got myself under control and wiped the tears that escaped my eyes.
"Oh, Lauren… I really feel sorry for you. I can finally understand why you're such a bitch all the time if those are the experiences you have with relationships." I said with a pitying tone and watched as she shot me a look that could melt through iron. Wow, did I just hit a nerve? "You do, don't you?" I said amazed. I was just about to apologise for bringing it up when she stood up and tossed her cup of tea at me over the fire.
"Shut up, you whore! You don't know me!" And she stormed away. I was shocked and before I even wiped the tea from my face she was gone. Well that was… something. There was a moment of silence when no one moved and then I turned to Mike who was looking at me with wide eyes and said:
"You should probably go after her. It'll be dark soon and she needs a ride home." He nodded his head with some reluctance and ran in the direction she disappeared. That caused the rest of them to stir and start cleaning the mess we made. It really was time to go home soon.
"So are you really dating Edward Cullen, now?" Asked Jessica when conversations stared again around us.
"No, Jess. We're just friends."
"So you weren't with him yesterday? You know his whole family was absent the whole day and it wasn't even sunny, so they didn't go camping."
"I know I was with the whole family." I admitted and saw Jacob look at me with curiosity again.
"You went to the Cullens? What are they like?" He asked before Jessica could.
"Well they were really nice to me and they invited me to go camping with them." That was what we agreed with Carlisle the excuse should be when I go missing for a day or two in my pursuit of excitement.
"You'll go camping with them?" Jessica asked in shock while Jacob got a thoughtful look on his face. "How did that happen? The last time I checked Edward didn't even look at you."
"I don't know" I shrugged. "I talked to him, thanked him for pushing me away from that car and we figured we could be friends…"
"But they never talk to anyone." Jessica persisted. "They always keep to themselves. How did you get to go to their house and get to go camping with them?"
"I don't know Jess." I sighted.
I really didn't know what to tell her; that they're really cool people, but are keeping to themselves because they're having trouble controlling their thirst around all the yummy humans or that they stay away so no one gets attached when they leave or, worse, discover their secret and they have to take their life away. That that rule doesn't apply to me because I already know what they are and maybe even that I know all of that because I came from another universe… Yeah, not gonna happen. I'd hate to say 'Hello madhouse; it appears I shall be your new resident for indefinitely.' Screw that shit.
"Lucky." I heard her murmur to herself.
"My dad warned me to stay away from them." Said Jacob. "But he's been saying some weird stuff lately so I guess that's just another one of those. I stopped listening to him a while back."
"How come?" I asked him deciding to ignore the wistfulness in Jessica's voice.
"He keeps shoving those legends down my throat; it's like he believes them… anyway we should be going too." He said and stood up. "Give me a call when you have some time, alright?"
"Sure, pup. See you soon." I said and waved at him and his friends as they left.
Alright so that's it for now. Let me know how I did; did you miss something, was there too little beach action, did you think something was wrong with it… or did you enjoy it and are looking forward to the next one? :)
Update 21.6.2016: Roselia Rose kindly pointed out that Bella goes to prom with Eric not Tyler like I kept writing in this chapter. Sorry about that - it's fixed now :3
