I plan to have the movie span only this chapter, the next chapter (which is already written), and part of the next, since BD2 seemed to focus more on the Cullens an their day-to-day thoughts/happenings rather than the wolves. I'll post Chapter III either tomorrow or in a couple of days! :D Enjoy!
The posse that escorted me here all disappeared into the woods to phase back, leaving me with the three other boys. All of them were pretty short and lanky, and all of them had identical tan skin and black hair. The differences were in their faces, mostly.
"Looks like Sam found a new recruit!" One of them spoke up, eyeing me like fresh bait. "Looks a lot like Leah." As they chatted amongst themselves, I stared at each one. I waited for a change, and change I didn't expect to recognize. Luckily, it didn't come. None of these males were my imprint. A part of me was relieved, and another part disappointed.
"That's 'cause she's a girl," A freshly changed Leah announced from the woods. She handed me a small bag, my borrowed clothes, no doubt.
"Wait, another girl? We thought you were the only one," Did they not know? It is rare, but not that rare. They all had dumbfounded looks on their faces. I held back a snigger as the rest of the boys returned.
"Mia, please go phase. We'll save introductions for later, we have a lot to talk about." The deep voice obviously belonged to the Alpha, and on first looks, I wasn't surprised. He reeked of authority, sending the pups back in the house as I turned to the bushes to phase.
Leah's clothes were plain—I liked that. She brought a medium sized shirt, some old tattered jeans, a belt, and a sports bra. Good thing the belt was here, because the shorts were too big. I quickly jogged out of the forest and silently followed the Alpha, Sam, inside. Everyone was crowded in the dining area, waiting to hear about the mysterious new female. I took a seat at the table, Sam across from me and other members scattered around the room.
"Mia, please tell us about yourself." I couldn't tell for what reason Sam was so interested in me, but I obliged.
"Uh, my name is Mia Fortier, I'm from Roseau, Minnesota, and I live the nomadic life, meaning I travel alone." I didn't know what to say, so I waited for questions.
"When did you phase?"
"I phased about a year ago, a vampire passed through town."
"Why did you leave?"
"Dad had a rule that he got from his dad. Basically, after I phase, I had to leave to find a life of my own. So, here I am."
"Why did you trespass on our territory?"
"I had no intention to trespass, I just didn't realize I had. I was going to visit the beach, then continue on my way due South." I peered around at each of them, awaiting the next question. The silence told me that there either were no more, or Sam was thinking about something important.
"Mia, I would like to formally invite you to join our pack, since you have broken no major laws and pose no threat to us." What? He wants me to join? "If you like, we can give you a few days to make your choice." I was stunned. This was the first time any other pack had wanted me to join them. The only response I could muster was a nod.
"Alright. I'm sure you'll learn all our names in due time. Jake, go back to the Cullen's, Paul, Embry, take Mia and go for a perimeter run." Sam barked orders, and two of the members came up to me. Paul and Embry.
"Hey there, I'm Embry, and this is Paul." Embry was a little shorter than Paul, who just waved. I just nodded. No point in repeating my name. I followed them out of the house, and retreated into the bushes to strip and phase, since I had no spare clothes. I stepped out to see two other wolves, one a dark silver with sandy underfur and a white one with a blanket of grey. He had quite a unique coat. The dark silver one was Paul, since he was bigger.
I realized another thing: I couldn't hear their thoughts, like I was told I would be able when in a pack. I guess that meant I wasn't actually in the pack yet. The two boys turned and led the way, stopping at what seemed like landmarks. I made sure to remember where they were, even if I decided not to join later. I saw them exchange a glance, as if remembering an inside joke. About an hour later it was nearly dark as we made a full circle back to Sam's.
"You ready to join yet, Mia?" Paul asked, like he expected me to join as soon as we got back.
"It'll take a little more than a perimeter run to convince me to join a pack, Paul," I retorted quickly. He just smirked and ran inside, followed by Embry. I followed suit. I noticed Jacob, Leah, and one other guy were missing.
"Where are Leah and some of the others?" I asked, out of curiosity.
"They're over at the Cullens', or out patrolling. Jake tends to stay over at the Cullens a lot, since he imprinted on one of the kids. It's a long story," Embry said. I just nodded, not wanting to pry, when I wasn't even part of the pack. Sam's imprint, Emma, or Emily, one of the two, approached me with a huge muffin. I thanked her politely and dug in. I'd almost forgotten how hungry I was. Most of the others returned, except for Jacob, who stayed at the Cullens'. The way they all seemed like one enormous family drew me in. Soon enough, we were all laughing in the open area in the front, the fact that just early this morning I was a stranger, an enemy. I took a moment to realize that these people were all so close—something I'd never experienced before. They took to me almost immediately, welcoming me with open paws. It felt strange, I felt a tug of belonging.
"So Mia, you made up your mind yet?" Leah asked me, coming to my side. She spoke low, but the entire room quieted to hear my answer. I felt little pressure, oddly enough. I looked at Leah, and according to what others said, she was not supposed to be smiling this much. They all said she was sour, blunt, tight-lipped, and harsh. I saw none of that. I guess the discovery of another female shifter erased a lot of that angst. But the others all around me, we all got along well and I felt like I was in the presence of the strongest family I'd ever seen. I thought my decision might take a little longer, but it was obvious.
"I guess I'll stick around," I responded, and by the time my sentence was finished, cheers erupted in the room. I grinned ear to ear, and the light-hearted conversation continued. I later asked Sam about my staying here, after mostly everyone had gone home. I had no clothes, no house, no money, no nothing. Emily jumped in and said for tonight, I could stay here in their guest room. Naturally, Sam didn't object. I was immensely grateful. I made sure to keep everything in the quaint room undisturbed before I slipped into the sheets to sleep.
When I finally roused myself out of bed, I found Sam steaming in anger, quite literally. I didn't dare speak up, I just awaited a quiet moment. Hardly a minute went by before Sam threw himself out of the house and into the woods to cool off from whatever happened. It was a short while before I made myself apparent to Emily, who was washing dishes.
"Um, is Sam alright?" I asked tentatively.
"Ah, yeah. He just found out that apparently Jacob purposefully revealed himself to a human a few days ago." I took it that our special powers were kept secret here.
"I see.."
"I suppose you deserve to be out of the dark about us and the Cullens." She strode over to the dining table with a bowlful of croissants. "Come, sit. I'll fill you in."
A good two hours passed, filled nonstop by the story of Bella and Edward, and how that relationship changed a lot of things. I understood why things are they way they are now. Just as the story wrapped up, Quil popped in.
"Hey Mia, Sam wants you to come over to Billy's. He plans on talking about the treaty and the laws." I caught a little smirk play on his face. These guys were bound for a surprise. "Come on, I'll lead the way."
The run there was brief, and I could hear the other's thoughts. Quil was thinking about those croissants he saw back at Sam's. I was wondering what the laws even were for this pack. Just as we arrived in Billy's backyard, snow started falling, decorating the ground with white dots, luckily not sticking. We all sat in a circle, some of used phased, some of us human. The discussion was just a review, to make sure everyone knew them. The emphasis was on Jacob and myself.
"Alright, discussion over." Sam turned to me as the others dissipated, yet didn't go too far. "Mia, do you have any experience hunting vampires?" I shook my head no.
"Since I was nomadic, any vampire I came across was either also nomadic, or part of a coven with distinguished territory. In either case, I would have had no right to attack them." Sam nodded his head, understanding my point.
"Alright. You'll take up patrolling with Embry and Paul, and we might call the Cullens over to help you learn." Oh boy, I didn't know how well I was going to do with that. By this time it was getting dark, so everyone flooded back to Sam's for dinner. This place seemed to be the central area, and Billy's as well. Once Sam entered, Emily handed him a note.
"Alice and Jasper passed by, they said to have you give that to the rest of their family. I don't know why they couldn't do it themselves." Alice and Jasper? They were from the Cullens, right? Seth and Leah were already here, so they must've known that they passed through.
"What's it say?" Someone asked.
"Gathering witnesses for something. I'll see about it when I deliver. You guys eat, I'll be back soon." Dinner continued as normal, raucously, until Sam returned. He explained that the Volturi would be coming when the snow sticks to the ground, and that we'd have to be ready to fight if need be. The meal wasn't the same after the news. Days went by, and as new vampires flooded the territory, we gained two new members. Collin and Brady were especially young, it worried everyone. I was assigned to aid them, with help from Jake. Currently, the four of us were hiking in the woods, discussing what changes would come to their lives.
"Now, you guys can do same serious damage, which is why you'll need to learn to control your phasing," I explained to the runts.
"Your mom pisses you off, you don't wanna tear her head off." Nice way to put it, Jake. My thoughts were interrupted by the scent of unfamiliar vampires. We heard from Edward that all the witnesses had already arrived—that means that these were not welcome. Jake read my mind and phased, the rest of us following suit.
The chase was on.
