Chapter 5

CatPOV

"Now is that any way to greet your favorite big brother?" A familiar voice with a strong Southern accent welcomed me and two gigantic arms scooped me up and pulled me into a huge, broad chest.

"Brad! Put me down, I can hardly breathe," I gasped as his death grip relaxed. He pulled me away from his body and stared at me with the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. This was an amazing feat, seeing as he was always smiling. "And you're my only big brother."

"Sorry, Catty. I've just missed you so much. Dad and I were starting to get a little worried because we haven't heard from you in so long. I just wanted to come visit you, you know; I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

I looked down at my feet in shame. It was true that I hadn't spoken to neither him nor my dad in some time. In truth, I was avoiding speaking to them. They made me miss home, a normal life. I could never say that to them. I could never let them see just how much I was hurting.

"Don't be sorry, Brad. I'm happy to see you. How did you get here?"

He smiled. "Oh, I've just been saving up ever since you left and bought myself a plane ticket. It wasn't first class or anything, but still, it was a nice flight."

I smiled and took my first real good look at him. Brad is about six feet, three inches tall. He's also incredibly muscular; it was the product of him doing so much manual labor. He didn't want to continue his education after high school. Instead, he chose to do odd jobs. He was well-known in the area we grew up in as a master mechanic, but he's been known to work on the occasional ranch. He didn't really care for ranch work, but it paid really well. His height combined with his brawny physique must have made the plane right almost unbearable.

He hadn't fully answered my question. "What I meant, Brad, is how did you get into my apartment?"

His smile widened. "I just told the office lady that I was your brother and I wanted to surprise you. Don't worry, Catty, she checked my ID," he slipped in quickly as my eyebrows rose in fear. "I think she worries about you. She kept going on and on about how you keep to yourself. She was very happy to see that you have a friend besides Chance. Speak of the devil…"

Chance ran into the living room and almost toppled me over. He stared into my eyes, begging to be let outside. I laughed and grabbed his leash. "Alright, boys, let's go for a walk."

Brad and I took Chance outside. Brad took the small window of silence as an opportunity to blindside me with questions.

He asked about school and the classes I was taking. He also asked if I made any friends. He shook his head when I was honest in my answer.

"Catty, you can't just run and hide from your problems. It's bad enough that you left your entire life in Texas. But to come here and not even attempt to start over…" He couldn't finish his sentence. I could tell that it hurt him to think about how I was feeling.

"I've only been here for a couple of months, Brad. You know how shy I am," I said with the fakest smile I could muster. He didn't buy it.

"Catherine Sophia! I know you're lying to me now! You haven't been shy a day in your life. And, I'm gonna prove it to ya!" he bellowed as he opened the door to my apartment for me.

After he walked in and closed the door behind, he ran into the kitchen. He came out with a glorious sight: a bottle of tequila in one hand, and a pack of cigarettes in another.

I could have kissed him. But, I didn't want to make it that easy for him. "You know I quit smoking six months ago."

"Girl, you cannot have a night with Mr. Cuervo without taking a trip into Marlboro country!" He laughed as he opened the bottle of tequila and poured two double shots, one for the both of us.

I lifted my glass with the biggest, stupidest grin I've had on my face since I moved to Portland.

"Cheers!"

EmPOV

I had no idea where to start in my search for the mysterious Smell Good Girl. Lucky for me, I had Edward and Bella.

Bella was incredibly excited about the quest. I think she's been spending too much time with Alice. I didn't need to hyper spazes in the house. "We can start at the school! Once we catch her scent, we can follow it to where she lives!"

Edward looked at Bella with a quizzical expression. "Bella, love, why does it seem that you are more excited to find out about this girl than Emmett?"

Bella looked at the ground, and if she could still blush, she would have in this moment. The memory of the faces she used to make when she was full of human embarrassment made a chuckle rise out of my chest. "I read a lot of Nancy Drew when I was younger, and the thought of going on my own Nancy Drew-esque adventure excites me," she said with a low voice. It made the chuckle turn into a roaring laugh.

Edward wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. He smiled as he pressed his face into the top of her head. A small chuckle finally gave way. "I love you."

I rolled my eyes in disgust. "Come on guys! What are we waiting for?" I raised my arm and pointed in the direction of the college. "Off to the school!"

We ran to the school, sticking close to the shadows to avoid being seen. When we arrived at the parking lot where we saw her earlier in the day, I picked up her scent. Edward, Bella, and I followed the scent to an apartment building about five miles from the school. The scent led to a second floor apartment. There was loud music playing in the apartment, and what sounded like two very drunk individuals singing… poorly.

"Absolutely atrocious. Do you hear that?" Edward said with a frown on his face.

I couldn't help but laugh. Edward had given me the same face on more than one occasion when I would sing.

"Not all of us can be blessed with your musical abilities." I scowled at Edward playfully, and he allowed a grin to break across his face.

My ears perked as I listened to the occupant's sing. There was a man and a woman singing. I assumed the woman was my mystery girl. The man could have been anyone. I heard stumbling in the apartment as the voices, clear due to my superior vampire hearing, filled the tiny room. I laughed as I listened to their drunken singing.

So kiss me, I'm shitfaced… The voices were slurred and it was clear to me at that point that whoever was in the apartment was having a much better night than me.

Without warning, the door to the apartment swung open. I held my breath in anticipation of my Smell Good Girl's appetizing scent. She stumbled out of the apartment with a man that looked very similar to her. He must have been family, probably her brother since they looked so much alike.

He swung his arm roughly around the girl's shoulder and spoke rather loudly. "Come on, Kitty Cat. I did my research and found the perfect bar for me and you not too far from here."

The girl threw his arm off her shoulders and lit up a cigarette. "Don't call me Kitty Cat, Brad. I fucking hate that name." She took a deep drag and blew the smoke into Brad's face. I couldn't help but admire her spunk.

Brad laughed boisterously and swung her in the direction he wanted her to head in. I tensed, praying they weren't planning on driving. I feared they would never make it to their destination.

"Aww, don't get all butt hurt, Catherine. I was just kidding." A humongous grin broke across his face and whatever remnants of a scowl were on Catherine's face completely disappeared. He ruffled her hair playfully. She laughed the same boisterous laugh as Brad and they walked down the street towards the downtown area.

I turned to Bella and Edward. They nodded and we followed the drunken duo, making sure to not be seen. Every time they stopped, we made sure to hide in the shadows. They finally reached their destination: a bar that apparently featured "Fight Nights" regularly. This bit of information didn't slip past Catherine either.

"Brad, I can't fight. I haven't fought in so long!" She turned to him, crossing her arms and staring him down.

I turned to Edward and Bella. They had mirror expressions: absolute shock. I felt the same way. This human was the most intriguing specimen I had ever met, next to Bella. I was eager to learn more about her. I turned back to their conversation.

"Now, now, Catherine. I know it's been a while, but I also know that you have some built up aggression that needs to be released. Besides, the girls that fight in these kinds of places are hardly ever serious." It looked as though Catherine's resolves wasn't wavering, so Brad quickly added, "Please?"

She sighed and dropped her arms to her side in defeat. Brad pumped his fist triumphantly and they headed inside the bar.

I stood up from my crouched position and went to follow them. Edward grabbed my arm quickly, "Do you really think that is a good idea?"

I shook my arm out of his grasp, annoyed with his reaction. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Edward stared at me disapprovingly, but it was Bella that broke our silence. "Come on, Edward. We'll be here with him, and I want to know more about Catherine."

Edward, who could never say no to Bella, relented. "Okay. But at the first sign of trouble, we are out of there."

I had already started walking towards the bar as soon as Edward began to speak. We walked inside, and it smelled awful. Vomit, sweat, and blood filled the air. All three of us held our breath. It's not like anyone would notice we weren't breathing, most of the occupants probably wouldn't even remember the night.

I caught sight of Brad and Catherine. They were at the bar, ordering drinks and signing up for fight matches. The three of us took a seat in a corner tall table, and tried to look like we belonged there. Edward left the table, and came back with three beers. We sat there with our drinks that would never be touched. Ten minutes into the night, and I was bored.

I turned to Edward with a sly smile on my face. "Hey, you think I should sign up for a boxing match. Come on, one round can't hurt, right?"

Bella's eyes widened and I laughed at the sight of her. "Just kidding, Bells. You always take everything so seriously."

Bella was just about to open her mouth to retort, but a loud voice cut her short.

"Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention please?! Our sole female fight of the night: Catherine and Jacqueline!"

The crowd erupted in applause when Jacqueline was mentioned. She looked mean. Her build was similar to that of Catherine's, but she had a few inches in height on her. Her body was heavily tattooed and pierced. Her hair was bleached platinum blonde and cut very short. Were I in Catherine's shoes, I would be afraid.

But Catherine didn't look afraid. She had a very goofy, almost lazy smile on her face, and every time she looked over at Brad, she would laugh. It was obvious she found the situation very amusing. I worried for her; clearly she was too drunk to realize the severity of the situation.

The sound of a bell rang through the bar, and both girls brought their fists up to their face. Their bright red boxing gloves stood out in the dark bar. The girls were circling one another, occasionally throwing out a fist to test one another. Catherine still had that goofy smile on her face, but Jacqueline looked like she was out for blood. A stray whistle from a face in the crowd stole Catherine's attention for a brief second, but it was all that Jacqueline needed. Her fist caught directly in Catherine's face, catching her right above her left eye.

Catherine, taken off guard, fell backwards and landed on her butt and elbows. I turned to look at Brad to see his reaction, surely he must care about what was happening, but he didn't move. A small smile lingered on his face.

Catherine rubbed her arm across her left eye, smearing blood across her forehead. Jacqueline raised her fists in triumph and turned her back on Catherine. Catherine slowly stood up with a new smile on her face. This smile was dark. I suddenly felt more afraid for Jacqueline.

Jacqueline turned around to look at Catherine, but made a costly mistake. She didn't have her fists up.

Catherine reared back her left arm and gave a quick, hard jab to Jacqueline's nose. The jab was quickly followed by a powerful right hook to the jaw. Jacqueline didn't have a chance. She was out cold before she even hit the floor.

I quickly forgot that we were supposed to be inconspicuous. I roared victoriously for Catherine and jumped out of my seat. She turned her head and looked at me with recognition in her expression. She looked like she was about to walk towards me when Brad rushed to her and held up her arms. The crowd applauded loudly and Catherine's focus was now on her success.

Edward grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down to my seat. "Are you insane?" he hissed.

"Sorry. I was just overcome with pride. Did you see how quick that hook was? That Jacqueline girl didn't have a chance! She had no clue what she was walking into."

He continued to glower at me. "That didn't mean you had to up and blow our cover."

I ignored Edward. I knew then and there that I had to know this girl. The way she smelled no longer mattered to me. What mattered to me now was getting to know Catherine.

"I'm going to go talk to her." I rushed out of my seat before Edward and Bella could stop me. I rushed over to Catherine, but barely missed her as she went into the ladies room. I waited patiently outside for her to come out. As soon as she did, I hurried up to her. She had washed the blood of her face, but the area was quickly turning into a dark purple. Her eyes enlarged due to my exuberance.

"You were amazing. Where did you learn to fight like that?" I vaguely felt the presence of Edward and Bella behind me, but I ignored them.

"Umm…" she started, rubbing the back of her neck anxiously. "My brother taught me." She looked up at me, and I couldn't help but smile at her. I don't know why, but I felt this overwhelming since of pride for her.

There was an awkward silence as I realized I didn't introduce myself. I must have looked like the biggest idiot. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," I heard Edward snort behind me. I held out my hand.

"My name is Emmett. Emmett Cullen."

She took my hand and gave me a firm handshake while she said her name. My breath hitched up in my throat. "I'm sorry; can you say your name again?"

"I said my name is Catherine McCarty."