Chapter Twenty Five

Note – the packs can communicate if they choose to in this story because I want them to. And so it begins – tell me at the end if I should stop. I actually feel sick with worry.

Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight but I do own Hetani etc.

It was really strange. After all the things I'd seen, heard and read about, the supernatural world was as known to me as the 'normal' one. But then I realised that I didn't really know the 'normal' world at all because I came to expect supernatural problems to happen to me. Sure, I tripped sometimes, walked into things and dropped stuff, but that was different. Those were everyday problems that even the pack (on very rare occasions) succumbed to. Not everyone walked into school and found themselves in a hostage situation with a damaged, bullied, gun toting student. I happened to fall into the category that had.

XXX

The day was meagre in terms of weather and I was slightly miserable because Embry was in school late, so wouldn't be coming in until lunch. Damn Jake and his impromptu patrols! Rachel had given me a lift in and I saw the fancy black car she'd won in her divorce swerve out of the parking lot. There was no doubt in my mind that she was going to see Paul. I shuddered at the thought.

"You need to learn to drive," Elisha ordered as she came up beside me, blue eyes twinkling in envy. I pushed open the front door to La Push High, smiling as people greeted me. Elisha gave me a raised eyebrow look.

"Why?" I asked eventually, spinning my combination into my locker. The door clicked open and I piled most of my books inside.

"So you can drive that car!" she exclaimed, gesturing in the general direction Rachel had gone in. I breathed a laugh as I slammed my locker shut. There was no way in Hell, Heaven or Earth that Rachel would ever let me drive her precious baby but I let Elisha have her fantasies. We made our way to the tiny school library as our first period English teacher was ill and there was no one to cover for him – meaning my glorious hour was spent tutoring Elisha as she couldn't teach herself and our teacher remained rubbish. I once again led the way in pushing the doors open only to halt abruptly. Elisha crashed into my back and I knew she was about to say something. That was until her eyes fell on what made me stop in the first place. One of the very few pale faced people at La Push High was standing stock still (except for his hand, which was shaking violently). He had light brown, almost blonde hair and was tall, but not as tall as my wolf boys. He was gangly too and I put him at about a year younger than Elisha and I. But the thing that caught my attention more than his appearance was the reason for my frozen form.

He was holding a gun.

I didn't know what to do. His hand was blurry with vibrations and his back was to us. Elisha and I looked at each other, debating. If we ran, we could get help. But what would he do in the meantime? My eyes drifted to the four terrified hostages in the corner where the unnamed boy was pointing his weapon. There was a girl, obviously only a freshman and the youngest person there, with fresh tear stains on her cheeks and wide, frightened eyes. Silently, I jerked my head for Elisha to bolt whilst I stayed and, for once, she was too scared to argue.

"Don't move." The words were said so quickly that Elisha hadn't even have a chance to so much as twitch her foot. The guy whirled around and my eyes widened slightly as the gun pointed directly at us. There went that plan. Of course, Elisha had always been louder, more opinionated than me and, right then, her fierceness came back.

"Are you really man enough to use that?" she snapped, stepping out from behind me and a glaring defiantly. I reached out to pull her back but she brushed me off.

"I will, I swear I will." He sounded just as petrified as the tiny freshman looked and his green eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

"Elisha," I hissed through unmoving lips, quiet enough so he wouldn't hear and subtle enough that he wouldn't see. She ignored me, which wasn't good because I knew she was prone to putting her foot in her mouth before thinking about what she was saying.

"No, you won't. You're just a coward with a gun. Why are you doing this? Is it-." A gunshot rang out and I screamed. Both Elisha and I looked shakily at each other, making sure neither had a bullet in us and then turned to the fresh hole in the wall. That's when we heard the frenzy outside and knew people were running for their lives. I wanted to join them but the boy had fired once, he would do it again. I doubted he would miss the second time.

"Sit down and shut up," he ordered and I shoved Elisha to comply. We moved around him slowly and sat in computer chairs, me closest to the freshman girl. Aside from her, the other three were boys of the same age as the shooter. I heard sirens in the distance and the gun holder paled dramatically.

"Here come the cops," one of the other hostages said, voice saying that he was calm but slightly shaking limbs saying otherwise.

"Give me your cell phones," the shooter ordered and Elisha, now obviously terrified, handed over her phone along with everyone else. I was going to lie about even having a cell but he clicked the gun threateningly and I tossed it over. He scrambled to collect them all just as a couple started ringing (including mine) and shoved them all in a drawer behind the librarian's desk. I looked at the ceiling and prayed for a release. Or, at least, some answers.

Embry POV

I ran the patrol around La Push as requested by Jake (much to Hetani's adorable chagrin) then stumbled upon hearing Jared's familiar howl echo through the forest.

What's going on?

Yeah, why the sudden call?

This better be good, I was with Rachel.

Nessie needs a babysitter!

Emily's with her.

What the Hell?

My head was assaulted with the sounds of my pack mates as everyone seemed to phase at once.

Everyone calm down.

The noise dulled as Sam's inner voice overcame the din in my head and everyone went relatively silent. He didn't say anything and the focus shifted to Jared, who had sent out the call.

There's something wrong at the school. Police cars and ambulances are there and the students are running around and freaking out.

Cold dread shot through me and I listened carefully.

What do you mean 'wrong'? That question came from Leah who sounded choked with worry.

I heard reports of someone holding hostages inside . . . with a gun. Shots were apparently fired. The dread intensified and I tried to control my breathing. We all made it to Sam's house and phased back, piling into the lounge. Naturally, Kim and Rachel were already there and I could hear Nessie giggling happily in the kitchen as Emily taught her to cook.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked worriedly and Paul was instantly by her side, sitting on the arm of the chair with his hand wrapped around hers. We all looked at Jared who swallowed thickly and I couldn't make myself ask. The words just wouldn't come out.

"Elisha and Hetani are with the hostages." I sat heavily on the couch as Jake looked physically sick. Paul's jaw fell open in horror whilst everyone else wore similar expressions of shock. Rachel and Kim looked confused, Emily mimicking the expression as she entered the room. Nessie skipped along behind her and leapt into Jake's arms. Without the practice those two had had at that move, Jake would have surely dropped her because he was in so much shock.

"I repeat: WHAT is going on?" Rachel demanded firmly and Paul closed his eyes tensely. My mind was swimming as I pictured my little Hetani, the one that bruised like a peach, confronted with a gun. What if the gunshot had been aimed at her? No, I would know if she was dead or dying – I knew that.

"There's someone in La Push High with a gun and shots have been fired," Jared repeated and Rachel looked oddly contemplative. How could she disregard her sister so easily!? It was HETANI in there! Then she went pale and I realised that she'd finally heard the words about the hostages.

"We have to get her out. My sister will not be shot!" she exclaimed, standing up on shaky legs. Paul rose with her, hands ready in case she collapsed.

"What do we do?" Each respective pack looked to their alpha. Sam was obviously in better condition but my orders came from Jacob. Jake still looked petrified and even Nessie constantly pressing her hand to his face wasn't jolting him from his thoughts.

"We wait." Although the words came from Sam, I whimpered and Rachel's head snapped towards him angrily.

"We wait?" she snarled and Sam nodded. Rachel's eyes sparked much like I'd often seen Hetani's do and I realised where she'd learned her temper from. "Fine, but I will be WAITING at the school. I will not sit around and be useless!" And she stomped out the door. There was a second of silence before we all followed. It took me only two seconds to undress and phase and only two minutes for me to reach the school and dress. I stumbled out of the trees, followed by Seth and Leah and I moaned at the sight of Forks police and ambulances. Several students were milling about but most seemed to have been dismissed.

"She's going to be fine. She'll be alright," Leah was muttering but it seemed more to reassure herself. I simply stared at the building, using my heightened senses to pinpoint Hetani's location. It wasn't a big school and I found her in the library with six others – the two obvious ones being the shooter and Elisha.

"I don't care if it's classified, that's my sister in there you asshole! Tell me the status or I will go in there myself!" I turned my head to see a near hysterical Rachel practically attacking Charlie Swan with Paul making no move to restrain her. Part of it was the imprint but another part was equally worried for Hetani. Charlie sighed as I walked up, looking at him beseechingly. He'd seen me with Hetani, he knew what she meant to me. With Jake appearing on Rachel's other side, he couldn't really argue.

"Your sister and what we suspect are five other hostages are locked in the library with the shooter. As far as we can tell, no one has been injured and the shot was only a threat. Students have identified the shooter as Josh Dennis." The name didn't ring a bell but I noticed a dent form on Jake's forehead as he thought.

"The pale-faced kid?" he finally asked and Charlie looked in the file he had in his hands. It took everything in me not to grab it and run with it to know everything about this guy.

"Yeah, one of the few at La Push," he eventually answered and then Jake swallowed, looking at Paul. The 'volatile' wolf looked back in confusion, wondering what was going on in Jake's head. A small part of me wanted to know but most of me was focused on making sure Hetani's heart continued to beat steadily. "Do you know him?"

"I don't . . . personally. But he and Paul have . . . um, interacted." We all knew what that meant. Before he was a wolf and just an angry teenager, Paul was a bully. I was suddenly assaulted with familiar images as I recalled seeing Paul verbally assault a pale boy a couple of years back. Holy –

"Shit, is he the shooter?" Paul demanded, realisation washing over his features. Rachel was looking between her boyfriend and Jake with utter bewilderment on her face. Paul looked sick as Charlie nodded slowly. Then I was angry. And shaking. I vaguely heard Jake say something and then I was being dragged into the forest. I took one more look at Paul's apologetic expression in front of me before I exploded and launched myself at him. I felt someone crash into my side to stop me though.

Embry, relax. I know you're mad at him but this won't solve anything! Leah was surprisingly the one stopping me and her tone simply screamed at me to stop. She was angry at Paul too but she knew that attacking wouldn't make me feel better.

Fine.

It took a while but I finally calmed down enough to phase back to my human self. After yanking on my clothes, I glowered at Paul and left him to go stand outside the school

"Hey, why did you attack him?" Rachel demanded in a hiss so she didn't attack attention. I looked at her like she'd lost her mind. Surely she got the message?

"Weren't you listening? Paul bullied this Josh guy and now he's in the library with hostages. He's a part of the problem," I growled then walked further away from her so Paul didn't hit me for getting too close. Leah's hand came to rest on my shoulder and we just stood in companionable silence, waiting for even a shred of news – preferably good.

I don't know what to say. Maybe I should completely change it. Oh, and sorry it's late. Love Bianca :) x