A/N: I absolutely love the title for this chapter; it's so melodramatic. Anyways, that was random, but whatever.
I actually wrote the beginning of this fanfic (about up until the first break in this chapter) a couple months ago, and I had a really awesome idea behind the whole presence thing, but I forgot it. I can't remember what it was, but I have a new idea and it works. So yeah; you guys probably don't care and didn't need to know that, but oh well! I'm telling you anyways.
Disclaimer: Except in my dreams, I do not own Twilight or any of the characters therein. However, Fiona, Jared, Harold, Randall, Jamie, and many more to come do belong to me... with the help of my friend Fiona on some points of her namesake character.
Harold came running back with my clothes and clip before I could remember the new presence. I quickly and skillfully used my teeth to snap the clip in place around my hind leg, then tying my clothes in place. It was meant to be done while human, but I never had the patience for that, thusly, this is what I often wound up doing.
I found it amazing how much more patient and calm I was as a wolf. I could just sit there forever, staring at the world around me, if it weren't for the necessities of food, drink, sleep, and relieving myself.
After a while, though, I sighed. No sign of anything. They're still mad, but not ready to explode. I can't put my finger on the presence, either. Not very familiar. Seen anyone on growth spurts lately?
Harold shook his big, red-furred head left and right. No, not that I can think of. Are you sure about this?
It's the exact same as it was with you, and then with Randall and Jamie. Only none of them took as long. It was pretty instant. I'd feel a faint presence for a while, then all of a sudden, at random, it would grow stronger and just... Explode into a voice. A brother. A connection.
Then, just like that, it was gone. What the…
What? Harold asked, his panicked eyes staring into mine, frustrated and confused. I could feel him prodding my mind, searching for a new wolf that he didn't sense yet. What? I don't sense it! Did they phase, or is something wrong?
No. I replied, In fact, it's the exact opposite. It just… disappeared, vanished. Evaporated.
My eyes narrowed, and I searched for a trace of what I had been so sure of only minutes before, but now it was gone. False alarm, I guess. I'm going to walk around as a wolf for a little. I'll come running if I pick anything up. Tell Randall and Jamie to be on the watch. And go on and tell my parents too, while you're at it.
He snickered now, a deep, throaty sound. Anything else you want, your highness?
I rolled my black eyes to the heavens. Just shut up and get out of here. I laughed quietly to myself and then got up, prancing around back deeper into the woods. I could hear Harold's mind disappear behind me as I ran out of his line of sight.
I kept feeling a faint flicker, coming in and out of existence. It was never very strong; it was as if they were teetering on the edge of the curse's effect… and had been their whole life. But it felt strange; there was something else to it that I just didn't get, that just didn't seem right.
It wasn't the same as before… well, it was, but it wasn't. It felt the exact same, but somehow I knew… that this was different. That something was terribly wrong, and something was going to happen that would change La Push, Forks, and possibly even the rest of the world, forever.
It just seemed so menacing. Like it was some kind of puzzle, teasing me, testing me, mocking me. Something I needed to figure out, was supposed to figure out, but couldn't.
So I just kept pacing, walking calmly just beyond the trees and super-focusing on the faint flicker, as if trying to trace it would somehow help me figure it out.
I knew that I should be happy that it was a false alarm, which I was, but something about it bugged me. It was unnatural-feeling, and it frustrated me to no end. After a while, I began to wonder if I really had lost it for good and that my mind was just playing tricks on me. I truly wouldn't be surprised at all.
Yet I couldn't stop the feeling that it meant something, that it wasn't just me. But Harold hadn't felt anything, and he was listening for it. Even though he wasn't the Alpha, shouldn't he be able to hea or feel something? Did that mean anything?
I was frustrated to no end, truly puzzled. With a sigh, I attempted to calm my nerves. After a few minutes, I was once again a human and free from the plaguing mystery of the presence that haunted a sense that had no name. I quickly slipped my clothes on, and walked back to town. If anything developed, I could work on it later. For now, I needed to free my mind.
That plan backfired as soon as I stepped onto the wood floors in the main room of my house. Both of my parents, fully dressed and human for once, were waiting anxiously on the couch. "Who is it?" They immediately sprang up and pelted me with questions, and it took me a minute to understand.
"It was just a false alarm." I said as calmly as I could, still mildly irritated. I had the uncontrollable urge to check if it was still there. I wondered sarcastically if this was turning into an obsession.
"Really? What do you mean?" Mom asked quickly, hungry for more. I could tell that she was nervous. Beside her, Jared seemed to be much more calm, obviously not understanding all the pain that our curse brought. Given his history, I wasn't surprised.
"Well, It was just there, really weak at first. I was watching it carefully, but it never flared up. It just… vanished. Completely disappeared. Since then, it's been flickering on and off and frustrating me to no end." I sighed and plopped down on the couch. Mom did the same. "So, any news on your side?"
"Well…" She hesitated, and I guessed that this was big.
"What is it, mom?" I demanded.
"Um… you're not going to be too happy about this."
"I don't care! Just tell me, already!" Really, mom could be so infuriating sometimes.
"You remember how we found out Reneesme was pregnant a couple months ago?" I was surprised; this wasn't what I was expecting to hear about. Then again, I hadn't really known what to expect, but this was definitely not it. We almost never talked about the Cullens, except for Jacob, because Mom and Jared felt almost as much disgust towards them as I did. For some reason, however, they thought that Jacob was the best thing, other than each other, that ever happened to them. Well, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but they still love him for no reason that I can see.
"Um… Yeah, I remember. Where is this going?" I was very wary as I spoke; this only seemed to be going down. I knew that I was most likely going to hear one of two things, but I wasn't really sure which one would be worse.
"Well, she gave birth today. And she wants to see you for some reason. She didn't say why; she didn't even tell Jacob."
I was stunned, but slightly relieved. As much as I despised the Cullens, I definitely did not wish the other possible fate I had been expecting upon anyone. Even a messed-up family of bloodsuckers.
Every other ounce of my being was engrossed in five different emotions at the same time; surprise, anger, anguish, hatred, and curiosity.
How could it happen so fast? Why did it have to happen at all? Why, out of everyone on the planet, do they want to see me? What kind of sick results will this have on me and my brothers? What could they possibly want to see me for?
"Today." Mom added firmly after a few minutes, then stood up to leave with Jared. I didn't know why, and I didn't care. I was barely even conscious enough to realize it, I was so absorbed in my own shock and emotions.
The door slammed shut behind her, and it was enough to rouse me from my own self-pity and make me trudge to the door and pull on my boots.
Might as well get it over with, I thought begrudgingly, I can't deny my duties as an Alpha, despite the fact that I don't want them. I wrinkled up my nose as I opened up the door, anticipating the stench.
And I forced myself to walk through the door and over to my old blue Jeep, knowing that only a few hundred yards away lay the end of my world.