Chapter Six: Acquaintance
Everything was set.
Edward and I had prepared a plan. Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Jasper would arrive the next day on flights Edward had reserved. Emmett and Rosalie would follow a week or two after, assuming they wanted to come. Charlie would have his condition. Edward would have what he wanted—more time for me to think through my decision. I'd tried to tell him there was nothing to think about. This wasn't entirely true; seeing Charlie react to Edward's reappearance had given me some qualms. Still, I was firm on the matter. At the end of the summer, I would have my eternity.
After our discussion with Charlie, Edward and my first order of business was to call Alice. We sat down to do so in the kitchen early the next morning. We put his tiny silver cell phone on speakerphone, so we could both hear what she had to say.
She picked up before the first ring. "Hello?" Her voice soothed me in some mysterious way. It was the voice of my best friend, my sister. My answer escaped in a sigh of relief, like a breath I hadn't known I was holding until I let it out.
"Hello, Alice."
"Bella! Oh, I'm so glad—what would have—but—I'm just glad you're back. Or we're back." She was stumbling over her words, something very unusual for her. I smiled involuntarily. "What's the plan?" she asked.
"There isn't one yet," I informed her, "and it's so great to hear your voice again. I really missed you."
"I missed you too, Bella. You have no idea…speaking of that, can I talk to Edward for just a second?" Her voice was sweet. Dangerously sweet.
"Sure…" I glanced at Edward, who picked up the phone apprehensively.
"Turn off speakerphone, please," came Alice's voice. Edward obliged, but it wasn't necessary; her scolding was so loud it could be heard from the opposite corner of the house. I tried not to listen, but the occasional phrase reverberated so sharply about my ears that it was sometimes impossible.
"…COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED…PHONE WAS OFF…NOT A WORD…THE POOR GIRL…" I looked up sharply, for a moment overtaken by a sudden, irrational fear at Alice's words. Had he found someone else? Was all of this just a fake-out? Was he going to leave me again?
Then common sense beat the idea out of my head. Of course there wasn't anyone else. Edward's presence at my side confirmed that this was impossible; it was just the insecurity that had overtaken me during his absence, rearing its ugly head. I soon realized that "the poor girl" was me. I must have heard pieces of two different scoldings…and here my mind reached another roadblock.
"You didn't tell them you were leaving." It was meant to be a question, but it came out as a breathless statement. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. The Cullens told each other everything. They were an ideal family. No secrets. They didn't even really have the choice to keep secrets. What with Edward's mind reading and Alice's clairvoyance…
Wait a moment. Why hadn't Alice been able to see Edward's arrival here? Since he had come all the way from Alaska, she would've had plenty of time. What was I missing here?
I didn't have time to question either of them, however, before the doorbell rang. I looked from Edward to the doorway and back, indecisive. Finally, unwillingly, I muttered, "Guess I'd better go get that…" I walked out of the room, down the stairs, and to the door, which I opened reluctantly.
On the doorstep stood a tall, muscular boy with silky skin and Native American coloring. With his girth and height, I would have put him at about twenty years old, were it not for his wide, rather round face and boyish features. That face seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it. What made the boy even more inscrutable was the expression he now wore—tight, forced. Like he was attempting and failing to conceal great anger, or maybe loathing. I shivered. It reminded me far too much of Edward's face my first day in Forks, although even this boy's handsome features could scarcely compare with Edward's glorious beauty.
"Can I help you?" I asked him, hesitant.
"Yeah," he replied, shaking himself out of his apparently unpleasant reverie. "I'm Jacob. Billy Black's son. Remember me?" He looked hopeful; the expression immediately warmed me to him.
"Yeah, of course," I replied, suddenly recalling an image long buried in the back of my mind. It was of a lanky, longhaired, soft-looking boy of sixteen. An image that didn't corroborate with that of the hard-muscled young man in front of me. "You've grown," I added without thinking.
He laughed tightly. "I've heard…Actually, I'm here to pass a message to Charlie from Billy." He looked apologetic. "That big storm last night knocked out our phone connection. It should be back by tomorrow, but in the meantime…Rabbit express." He indicated the car parked on the street in front of the house—an old Volkswagen Rabbit. I squinted to make out the model of the vehicle, and, realizing what it was, laughed at his joke.
"So…what's the message?" As nice as it was to see Jacob again, I had more pressing issues at hand than reuniting with and old acquaintance, and I was a little more than anxious to be back upstairs.
"Ah…" he seemed to be focused on something else entirely. "Oh! The message. Right. Um, tell Charlie that, um, Billy said, erm…that Friday would be a good day for fishing. And he said to meet him at, um, his house, at 6:00." Yes, Jacob was definitely distracted.
"Okay…" I said. Now that I thought about it, this whole thing was a little off…from what I understood, Charlie had gone to meet Billy and their friends only a few hours ago. They were probably together at this very moment.
"Well, uh…" I didn't know what to say. I wanted to find out what was going on, but at the same time I wanted Jacob to go away. I had a lot on my mind, and one strange encounter with a family friend just didn't seem to hold as much importance as it normally would have.
"So"—Jacob began, but broke off abruptly when Edward walked up behind me. His expression appeared calm, but the molten gold in his eyes seemed to have hardened, and now his pupils were inscrutable brass balls.
"You," Jacob hissed, his face suddenly crimson with rage. He seemed to be overwhelmed by his fury, shaking with it. Indeed, right before my eyes he started to shake, minutely at first, then in huge tremors so fast that his form seemed to blur, become taller, wider…
I looked at Edward, whose face was now alarmed.
"Bella," he growled, not taking his eyes off of the blur in front of me, "Bella, get behind me…" I complied, sheepish and confused. But the moment I turned around, I heard a snarl and whirled to look.
On the doorstep, where a minute before a sixteen-year-old boy had stood, was a gigantic…wolf. It was about ten feet tall at the shoulder and beautiful, silky fur of an earthy reddish-brown color. Its intelligent dark eyes were fixated on Edward, flat and filled with bloodlust.
At the sight of this creature, my heart stuttered to a stop and then picked up in double-time.
It was the wolf from my dream.
My mind crashed in on itself, and I promptly blacked out.
Sorry this chapter was so short. I did it for the sake of suspense, which I know probably isn't your favorite thing either. Still, drop a review while I immediately rush off to work on the new chapter!