Chapter 16 (Jacob POV) Sacrifice
"The greatest sacrifice is when you sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of someone elses."
I'm running as quick as I can. The forest is disappearing around me in a blur of color.
There's been an accident….. Bella's been in an accident. Jake, you need to get there as quick as you can.
I don't know how Sam knew, but I didn't wait to ask. I just ran. I know the rest of the clan is assembling. They've heard they vampires have returned and they don't want to have a run in. They are unsure if they should approach Bella, so they are waiting to hear from me. Sam didn't even bother to tell me to wait. It would be no use….
What if it was him? What if I set him off? I'll kill him. It's that simple. I should have done it today. I should have ripped that bloodsucker and his new girlfriend in half. How stupid could he be to bring her here?
As I run, I can't help but picture the girl. There is a small part of me that feels for her. Like me, she has to deal with being second to what they really want. It's a bitter reality. But sometimes, second is what you need.
I hit the road, my paws landed with a thud as they beat against the gravel. I rear back at the sight of Bella's truck, overturned and folded like an aluminum can. Shaking off the shock I sprint towards the truck only to be confronted with another image that makes my heart feel as though it's been slammed in a wall. The girl, the vampire, is cradling my broken Bella in her arms.
I can still hear the faintest of heart beats coming from Bella. I growl approaching with caution, not wanting to force the girl to do anything stupid. She looks up at me, slightly panicked. I realize she's been crying.
"I didn't mean too!" she says, "I swear!" She pauses, as if trying to remember, "Jacob?"
I nod my head, confused.
"I didn't mean too. I was trying to help. She came after me and the roads…they were slippery… I tried to stop it…." She shakes her head.
I believe her. If she wanted Bella dead, Bella would be dead. Although, I realize, Bella is not far from dead. I walk over to the two of them and look over Bella's broken body. She looks like a rag doll, left behind by a forgetful child. Her limbs strewn in ways that limbs should not face. Her body already purple and black. The blood running down the road, almost like it's dancing along the ice. How has the girl not been tempted to taste her?
"Even if she lives, it won't be much of a life for her. She won't really be living," the girl whispers.
The girl isn't just talking about Bella's injuries that will no doubt leave her beyond cripple. It's her love for Edward. That's what really breaks her. That's what is really stopping her from living. In order for her to actually live, she needs to die.
"I can change her," the girl says, "I can try anyway. If you let me?"
She's asking for my permission. My permission to save the one I love, even though it will mean I will lose her forever. Even though it will mean she will become what I loathe. So these are my options. Keep her, and never really have her, or love her enough to let her go regardless of the hurt it will bring me. I almost want to laugh. How is this fair? Why would life introduce me to her only to have her ripped from me later? What's the point in loving when it's not returned? Why must I make this sacrifice?
"I get it, Jacob," Blair breaks my thoughts, a small sob in her words, "I know what this means for you. I know what it means for me." She whimpers, tears streak her cheeks.
Before I can think about it, I lean my head forward and nuzzle against Blair's cheek. Her icy skin contrasts the warm of my coat. We are so different, yet in the same predicament. I want to offer her something, some comfort or at least some knowledge that I know what this will do to her. She smiles at me,
"It's not about us," she shakes her head, "it's always been them. Let me do this?"
I nod my head, allowing her to change her.
Blair leans over Bella's neck and her teeth are bared against Bella's soft skin. Blair's eyes, no longer tearful narrow on her target. The sympathy I'd just felt, washes away instantly.
"If I can't stop," Blair says, "kill me!"
I bare my teeth at the girl and let out a growl. You bet I will!