WOAH! Wow, I just really wanna thank you guys for all the reviews, favs, and alerts. Holy crap, waaaaaaaay more than I expected. All the alerts were blowing the roof off my inbox. Anyway, I'm on a writing spree lately, so here's another update. Thanks again guys, you're all awesome! :)
Just a few points I'd like to make;
#1- I changed the title of the story from "Welcome to a New World" to "Shooting the Moon." I felt that the first title wasn't very original. Hope I didn't piss anybody off with that. :/
#2- Leah is NOT a shifter. Also, I wanted to make her the same age as Jacob, so she's 16 years old.
Alright, hope you guys enjoy. :)
Chapter 2- Leah POV
I awoke again, my head spinning. As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was that Jake was still there, napping on the loveseat across from me.
What was with him? I had never met him before this, and now he's acting like he's my bodyguard. Like he'd take a bullet for me.
Hoping to get someone's attention, I yawned loudly. Seth and Mom came darting into the room almost immediately, and Jake's eyes fluttered open.
There was another man too, a blonde-haired man who looked vaguely familiar.
"How ya doin'?" Seth asked me, and looked over at all the machines I was hooked up to.
"Um," I responded. "Why do I need all these machines?"
Jake stood up. "You needed to have some blood transfusions," he told me, and smiled at me sympathetically.
I looked over at my Mom, who looked more than a little shaken up.
"Mom?" I called her.
She ran over and hugged me tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," she apologized. Here she goes with her sobbing again.
"It's not your fault, Mom," I assured her.
I looked over at the blonde man, and was finally able to recognize him. Dr. Cullen, the one who gave us the news about my dad.
"Hello, Leah," he said to me, a warm smile lighting up his features. Wow, I'd never noticed how pale he was. He looked almost... sickly. But beautiful at the same time. Weird.
"Hi.. Dr. Cullen."
"Please, call me Carlisle," he said.
"Ok Carlisle. Now um, would you mind telling me exactly what happened to me?"
From the corner of my eye, I could see my mother shaking, and Seth and Jake were looking rather nervous. Like they were saying to themselves, "Maybe this isn't the best idea."
"Leah," Carlisle paused, wondering where to begin. "you were attacked in the forest."
"I realize," I rolled my eyes. "but by what?"
Carlisle looked like he was about to tell me, but instead just said, "Don't worry about that right now, there will be time for that later. It's gone. Jacob took care of it for you."
I looked over at Jacob, who was still staring at me. I didn't know whether to be flattered, or creeped out.
My head began to spin. I never saw Jacob in the forest, only a dog. I was under the impression that the dog had killed off whatever attacked me.
Unless...
No, impossible. Those are just stupid myths, old urban legends.
And yet I was still questioning my sanity.
All I did was look over at Jacob and say, "Well thank you Jake, very much."
He smiled and nodded. "No trouble at all."
I would be able to ask Jacob about this later. Surely, he would still be here.
A few hours passed, and I was up and walking again, disconnected from all the machines. I couldn't bring myself to ask anyone about the dog thing, not even my own brother. I would wait to be alone with Jake.
A few more hours passed, and Carlisle had left, telling us that he would be back tomorrow to check up on me. Mom, exhausted, had went off to bed. Jake was still here with Seth, and they were both still awake.
"Ya sleeping here, Jake?" Seth asked.
"Yeah," Jacob answered. "Hope it's no trouble, man. It's pretty late to start goin' back home, ya know?"
Seth rolled his eyes. "You coulda left hours ago." Jake shot him a look, and silenced him.
"I'm goin' to bed. You can sleep on the couch, Jake," Seth said. "Coming, Lee?"
"Oh. Um, yeah," I answered, and started up the stairs. "Night, Jacob," I called.
"Night," I heard Jake answer.
I lied in bed for about an hour, still wide awake. I knew what I would do.
I assumed that Mom and Seth were both already asleep, so I creaked open my bedroom door tip-toed down the hallway. I could hear Seth's snoring erupting from his bedroom out here. Yep, definitely asleep.
I walked down the stairs, and back into the living room.
Jake was still awake, sitting up. There was a thoughtful expression on his face. He looked over, and his eyes lit up when he saw it was me. He looked surprised.
"Hey there," he greeted me.
"Hi," I stook next the the couch he was sitting on. "so um, what was that? In the woods?"
"Shit," he cussed under his breath. It was obvious he didn't want to be the one to tell me.
I tapped my foot impatiently.
"Listen Leah," he started. "you've heard the old legends about the tribe right?"
"Yeah... but my mom told me it was all just bull."
He sighed. "I used to think that too."
I felt like my heart had stopped. "You used to think that?" I repeated.
He didn't say or do anything. He just say completely still, looking a little.. sad?
"Jacob?" I asked.
"They're true, Leah," was all he said.
"No!" I shouted. "You're CRAZY!"
"I'm not!" he shot back, but calmed down almost immediately. "You can ask your brother."
I froze. "WHAT? ARE YOU TELLING ME MY LITTLE BROTHER IS A... WOLF?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you. Haven't you noticed any changes in him?"
I thought about the muscle he gained, the angriness, how he was always gone lately. And I realized that Jacob was right.
But I so desperately wanted him to be wrong.
I couldn't help myself, I broke down, crying on the floor.
I was there like that for a few moments, and suddenly, I felt Jake's arms wrap around me. They were warm, like how I remembered in the forest. I clung to his neck.
"Leah," Jacob whispered. "I'm so sorry, I know how you must feel. Just be thankful you never had to go through it. It was a living hell."
I felt terrible for Jacob, and for my brother.
"Are there others?" I asked him after I had calmed down a little bit.
"Yeah, there's an entire pack. I'm sure you know some of them. The ones who are still in high school besides your brother and I."
"Like..?" I asked.
He had told me the names, and I knew who most of them were. Jared, Paul, Colin, Brady, Quil, and Embry were in the same school as me. And the so-called "Alpha," Sam Uley, was my cousin Emily's fiancee. Oh my God...
"I'm sure this is way too much for you to process in one night.. I should have waited until tomorrow to-"
"No, no," I cut him off. "I'm glad that I know now.. Thank you, Jacob."
"So.. are you cool with this?" he wondered.
"Huh?"
"With me.. and Seth.. all of us being werewolves," he asked, seeming nervous.
I thought about that. I had always been fascinated with wolves, but I would never think that members of my family, friends of mine would be.. wolves. I had heard the myths as a child, but my parents had told my brother and I that they were all just urban legends, not real at all.
I wonder how Seth felt about all this.
"Yes," I simply said.
Jacob sighed in relief. "Thank you."
I had one more question for him.
"Jake, why are you always watching me, and why are you always with me?" I asked, hoping I wasn't being nosy.
He looked down, avoiding looking me in the eye.
"When I saw you... in the woods..," he hesitated. "I just felt like.. I needed to be with you."
I wasn't completely sure what he meant by that, but I got butterflies in my stomach.
