I roll the window down
and then begin to breathe in
the darkest country road
and the strong scent of evergreen
from the passenger seat as you are driving me home.
Then looking upwards
I strain my eyes and try
to tell the difference between shooting stars and satellites
from the passenger seat as you are driving me home.
"Do they collide?"
I ask and you smile.
with my feet on the dash
the world doesn't matter.
when you feel embarrassed then I'll be your pride
when you need directions then I'll be the guide
for all time.
for all time.
Death Cab for Cutie – Passenger Seat
I didn't fall asleep, obviously, and neither did he, which sort of surprised me. I had expected that he'd crash as soon as he lay down, but I was completely wrong, we both stayed up and talked like we'd first met.
"So…tell me about your family," he said with a smirk.
"What do you want to know?" I asked, knowing that I was acting evasive.
"Well, how come you're adopted?" he asked. "I mean what happened to your real parents and why did the Cullens take you in?"
"In all honesty," I began slowly. "I have no clue."
"So…no one ever told you then?" he asked, looking at me from where he sat. The small table in the room had only one chair, which I occupied. He was sitting on top of the bed right next to it, looking at me intently.
"Nope," I said, consciously making a note to ask them again later.
"Why?" he asked.
"I don't know. I always want to know, but they never tell me," I said quietly, fiddling with my fingers on top of the table. His eyes softened when I looked up at him and I couldn't help but smile.
"Sounds like hell," he said. "My family is totally different. We tell each other everything. I mean Keira, Lucy, and Rosy tell each other what underwear they're wearing." I stifled a laugh as his disgusted features turned into a frown. "They know everything about me, including that I'm here…with you…and I'm not supposed to be," he said softly. I looked back up at him.
"You're not supposed to be with me?" I asked warily.
"No…that's why I didn't talk to you at school after that first day. They were angry and for some reason think you and your family have something to do with the murders in Seattle and Port Angeles."
"Why would they think that?" I asked softly, genuinely worried.
"They're crazy," he laughed. "Beyond that…they're hormonal teenagers who have no idea what that want."
"Good point," I said, smiling.
And it went on like that, all night. By the end of the night, I was sitting next to him on the bed, we were both above the covers, but we were lying down. We could definitely be friends; it was obvious. I smiled up at him as he flipped the TV off and the sun came up. We had been watching the news, and according to it, the thin blanket would be melted by noon. It was only about four in the morning. So, that left a few hours to chill in Port Angeles for a while. I rolled off the bed and went towards my bags full of new clothes and grabbed a few things before fleeing into the bathroom and changing quickly. When I came out, he had changed already too.
"So, what do you wanna do today?" he asked with a smirk.
"You choose," I said indifferently. Was I imagining the churning in my stomach when I was around him? He was cute, more beautiful than any mortal, but not as gorgeous as a vampire.
"No more shopping sprees," he said with a laugh.
"Fine by me. I have enough to carry," I said, looking at the shopping bags scattered everywhere. I dropped my dirty clothes into one, not really caring if the new things got dirty. They could be washed. I shook out my blonde hair before running a brush through it quickly and smiling at him, ready to go.
"How about, since the weather people are always wrong, we just go ahead and leave now. It probably already melted back in Forks. It shouldn't be that much of a drive, plus it's so early in the morning, the high way will be empty again and we'll be watching the sunrise," he said with a smirk.
"That's a good idea," I said, smiling at him. "I'm sure my parents practically want to kill me right now too," I sighed, tossing the brush into a bag and stuffing everything into one of the big bags before throwing the empty ones away. He picked up both of our bags easily while I held onto the big shopping bag with everything in it. We walked out to the car and dropped off the room keys at the front desk before getting back into his car, stuffing our stuff in the trunk. I smiled as I pulled on a hoodie and saw my breath as I gave a soft sigh.
"What's wrong?" he asked carefully.
"Well…I'm worried about what will happen when we go back," I said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want things to go back to the whole no-talking policy between us. Why can't we be friends?"
"If anyone besides Keira knew we'd be in deep trouble," he said. "But I think I can manage. What will your parents say when you get back?"
"They'll ground me forever and never let me see the light of day again," I sighed.
"Well, then we'll hang out at night," he said softly, leaning across the center console to give me a reassuring smile. He put the car in gear and took off down the road.
The roads had melted already, thank goodness. I put my feet up on the dash, shoes off and enjoying the ride. I could smell the scent of evergreen trees and I kept my eyes closed. I gave a soft and content sigh before feeling his hand resting on my thigh. I looked at him and he just shrugged.
"Why fight it?" he asked with a laugh. "I know you like me, Claire," he joked.
"I'd say it's the other way around," I joked back. He smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling it up on the center console. He held it there for a few seconds looking at it, as though taking in every curve and facet in the skin. I sighed. His skin was so beautifully warm and soft, unlike my hard and cold skin. He dropped my hand on the console and put both hands on the wheel again, looking at the road with a hard glance. I was confused, but didn't say anything as he kept driving.
A few hours passed and we finally pulled into the limits of Forks. He drove up to my house and stopped the car. When I went to get out, he got out too. I gave him a glance that clearly stated that he should be gone, but he shook his head. He placed his comforting hand on my shoulder and we climbed the stairs to the front porch. He knocked on the door, his hand still on my shoulder protectively. I felt the wind gently stir my blonde hair and looked up at him with worried eyes. My mother appeared at the door, her expression worried until her eyes fell upon me.
"Claire-Bear!" she screamed, throwing open the screen door and rushing out, pulling me into a strong hug that practically choked me. She released me and looked me over and I could practically hear her sniffing the air for anything dangerousI could have been around. She looked up at Caleb, her expression turning to anger.
"What are you doing here? Why did you take my daughter so late last night?" she asked angrily. I looked at her and placed my hands on her shoulders.
"Mom, calm down," I said soothingly. I looked past her to see Jasper and Alice standing behind her. I gave Jasper a wink and he immediately went to work, but I could see the gears in Alice's head turning as she took in the scent of him. What was everyone's problem with a guy having a dog lately?
My mother took a deep breath and was okay again. I looked pleadingly at Caleb and he took a step forward. Alice flinched and stood up immediately, Jasper looking at her with confusion as he finished calming my mother.
"Mrs. Cullen, I saw her walking late last night and I needed someone to talk to so we went for a drive. By the time we were calmed down, the snow had begun falling and I wasn't going to risk your daughter's life in such weather conditions," he said sincerely. I almost laughed at how real it sounded. It was perfectly done, almost rehearsed. My mother pursed her lips and looked at him, her gaze hard and cold.
"Well, she's safe now. Thank you for bringing her home. I'm sure your guardians are worried about you, so you should get home," she said, her voice strong. I was tempted to say, Way to go, Mom, but seeing as it was Caleb, it was a completely different story. He nodded and said a soft goodbye to me before my mother ushered me inside, sitting me down on the couch.
"Bella, hold on," Alice said just as my mother was about to open her mouth to say something. Alice's gaze fell upon me and I wondered what was wrong.
"Alice, stop looking at me like that," I said nervously, shifting my weight as I sat.
"Claire, do you know who that boy was? Do you know what he is?" Alice asked me angrily. I shook my head, running a hand through my blonde hair.
"All I know is that his name is Caleb, and he has a sister and then some cousins. He's a nice guy who likes me and I like him and we're good friends. He's been there for me when I couldn't turn to you guys and he's never hurt me, nor do I think he ever will," I said angrily.
"No, Claire, he is a werewolf. I could smell that scent pouring off of him. Bella can't tell because she's never smelled it with the senses she has. Edward couldn't tell because he was in a different room, receiving it at a low intensity. Carlisle, Edward, and I are the only ones who know the scent of a werewolf right off the bat, and that boy had it pouring from every pore in his body. Claire, he could have killed you, that's what they're built for. I'm sure he already knows what your are, seeing as it's not hard to recognize us if you know enough," she said, her voice completely freaked out.
"Alice, do you have any idea how insane you sound right now?" I asked with a laugh. "We're the only living myths in Forks."
"Claire…there are werewolves. I've seen them," my mother said, her eyes worried. "I thought Jacob and his group were the only pack in the…well the world. Apparently there are some in England. I don't know why they would have come here though," she said with a sigh. I looked at her, my eyes completely talking for me.
"The missing persons and the attacks in Port Angeles and in Seattle," Alice said, reading our gazes. Jasper had remained quiet the entire time. "What do you think, honey?" Alice asked, looking at him with worried eyes.
"He knew. His emotions were scared and worried. He knew that you knew, too," he said to Alice. She waited for a second, thinking about what he said, seeing as it was rather confusing, and then nodded.
"Yeah," she said worriedly. "We forbid you to see him anymore, except at school, because you can't really help that," she finished, a note of finality in her voice.
"That's not fair!" I yelled.
"We'll see when your father hears about this," Bella said. "Right now you're in trouble for running away last night. Go to your room now!" I groaned and let my eyes roll before storming up the stairs and opening the door to my room, walking in, and slamming it behind me. I threw myself on the bed, and let a few dry sobs heave through my body before looking up from my pillow. There was a note next to my face and I grabbed it, rolling over so I could actually read it.
Claire, I could hear the fight from my car. Everything is true, but I didn't know you were…well, you know. I guess this complicates things. I don't know what to do right now. Call my cell, my number is on the back of the paper. I'm worried about you. If my family finds out that you really are what they thought you were, then you'll be in trouble. Please tell me that no one in your family is killing those innocent people. I don't want to have to reprimand you or anyone you love.
-Caleb.
I looked at the note, surprise rushing through me like the Mississippi River. It was true…and he knew about me now too. Well, what was meant to be something to wake me up only gave him more information. I looked over at the flip-side of the paper and read the number. I put it into my contacts, but didn't call it. I was still too surprised. I looked over at the bags by my window. They were the shopping bags that I had forgotten in his car. I gave a weak laugh before grabbing them and emptying them and putting everything into the drawers.
This had definitely turned out to be a surprising day.
A/N: Alright, schools out, so I'll be updating way more than I was, but zero times a number is still zero, but let me tell ya, like once a week I will be updating, you can count on that. I am so sorry that it took this long though! Please don't hate me…or throw pointy things at me.