Finally Chapter 5 is here. Sorry for the wait, I had to think long and hard about this chapter, even though it's not that long. As I was typing I was trying to find a way to attach Jacob with his lost Indian heritage, and I had to do research about the animal tales. But I hope you all like it. Please leave feedback and review!
The morning came quicker than I expected; it only felt like I had about fifteen minutes of sleep. I opened my eyes and stared at the furniture in the quiet living room. There were no noises at all, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock to the far side of the room, until I felt breath tickling the back of my neck. Jumping about eight feet off the couch I whirled around, seeing Alice standing behind the couch.
"What was that for?" I practically yelled since she did one of the things I hate the most – sneaking up on me. My heart thudded so fast I was sure she could hear it loud and clear as she made her way to stand in front of me. One eyebrow lifted on my face as she put both of her hands on my cheeks and closed her eyes. It seemed like she was doing what that Aro guy did days ago.
"Alice, don't feel up the mutt" Edward stated, not even looking at me as he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. The said vampiress sighed and let go, backing off to sit on the couch. Ignoring the irritating hate-vibe I got as soon as Edward came into view, I went to sit next to her. She seemed to be in deep concentration, looking at the floor without blinking.
"Uh…keep staring like that and it might catch fire" I tried to lamely joke, possibly to cheer her up since she was one of the nice ones, but it failed. She just looked at me and smiled before standing once more.
"It's just that I still can't read either of your minds, it's getting on my nerves. Maybe I need to go meditate…" she pondered, talking to herself as she suddenly disappeared to the second floor. I blinked a couple times, trying to get used to how fast they moved, before hearing my stomach rumble and heading to the kitchen. Upon reaching the door I leaned to look through the little window, seeing Edward and Esme standing near a counter with a cutting board on it. It looked like he was chopping up some raw meat to put in a skillet, even though I knew they didn't eat, and it made me curious. Faintly I could pick up pieces of their conversation, pressing my ear gently to the door.
"Why does he have to be here?" Edward asked, growling at the same time and turning up the heat on the burners. Esme's voice came right after his, trying to calmly show some good in the situation.
"It's for the best, dear. You just have to trust your father."
There was a slamming noise before Edward spoke again.
"You don't understand! He can't be here; it's going to drive me crazy. I'm sure that if Jasper picks up anymore emotions from in this house he'll have to go to the funny farm for mental insanity."
Esme chuckled at that - I did too in my head - and kept trying to help her upset son.
"Please look at the bright side, don't make it seem so bad. It's not like you have to live with Jacob, but at least give him a chance to help."
"I don't see how he can. So Alice can't see my future nor his, its no coincidence as you all seem to think. He's a werewolf, I'm a vampire, and we're supposed to stay away from each other. That's just how to rules of reality go, so forcing us to be under the same roof for a long period of time isn't smart."
"I shouldn't have to beg you, Edward. He's young and gets on your nerves, it just happens, but you at least need to try and let him in. Make him feel welcome, even if it hurts."
Honestly, I didn't think there was a bone in that vampires body that could welcome me in. A picture of Edward standing on the porch with his arms wide open, smile beaming in the sunlight came into my head, causing me to shudder.
"Will you attempt to be nice, for the sake of your family if nothing else? Just swallow your pride and be polite, I'm sure Jacob will do the same."
Yeah, as if that would ever happen. I laughed out loud for a second, instantly regretting it as one of the kitchen doors swung open. Standing straight up, trying to act discreet and tough, I glanced at Edward then back on the floor. His eyes seemed to turn black before he let out a distressed sigh and walked upstairs. I rubbed my forehead with one hand, realizing that this was gonna be harder than I imagined.
The rest of the day went as expected, slow and boring, with no action whatsoever. Edward stayed locked in his room, Jasper didn't want anyone to bother him; the rest of the family was busy doing 'normal things', and I was left out to be on my own. It wasn't exactly a thrilling household. As the hours dragged on I was trying to decide whether or not I could, should, stay here. The wolf deep inside me wanted to run back to Forks, to the comfort of the familiar La Push forests where the vampires wouldn't bother me. Yet my human half demanded I stay and fix this mess. The Cullens were letting me stay under their roof, begging for my help, acting as kind as could be. Reasoning with my human side I agreed that it was my job to do something about this before they got tired of my anger problems and drained my blood. Cringing at the thought I headed inside from the front porch, where I was currently sitting on a glider, and walked straight to Edwards's room. There was quiet rock music playing behind the closed door and the sound of shuffling papers as I gently knocked.
"What do you want, mutt?" Edward asked, growling under his breath. As I figured – he probably smelled me coming.
"I was wondering if we could, uh…you know, talk or something…"
The chuckle I heard coming from him was dark sounding and his answer was filled with venom.
"I have nothing to discuss with a mongrel like you."
I decided to ignore his rudeness for the time being and went across the floor to a darkened room, flicking on the light. Thousands of books covered the walls in neat columns, filling up each corner of the room. Desks were in the middle of the room, with lamps and papers on each. My head was swimming as I looked through the selections on the bottom of the large book shelves. My hands reached for one book in particular, an older looking novel on Indian folklore. I remembered my dad telling me things about the legends when I was younger but I never believed in any of them.
Edward's POV:
I was in the middle of reading when the smell of that wolf came drafting into my room. I growled, getting up at the sound of his knock.
"What do you want, mutt?" I asked, hoping he got the idea of how much I was annoyed with him being here. There was a pause before he answered.
"I was wondering if we could, uh…you know, talk or something…" is what he said, which caused me to chuckle. He actually wanted me to talk to him, face to face, about my problems? I'd rather be burned at the stake then admit weakness to someone like him.
"I have nothing to discuss with a mongrel like you."
Deep inside somewhere I felt that those words were a little harsh but I wouldn't admit it. He seemed to have left after that, not that I blamed him, but at least he was out of my hair for now. Sighing, I lay back down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Glancing over to my right I took a good look at the book I had been reading. A tribal picture of a wolf was printed on the page, at the very beginning of a new chapter.
"One must understand the heart of the wolf…" I murmured out loud to myself, a cold smile finding its way to my lips as I ran my fingers over the black ink of the picture.
Jacob's POV:
I flipped a couple chapters until finally reaching what I wanted, seeing the words "Animal Totem Legends" on the page. This chapter started out with the wolf, ironically.
"One must understand the heart of the wolf" I began, looking intently at the typed letters.
"Intelligence, communication, friendliness, loyalty, generosity, and compassion are all traits of the magnificent wolf. They are not at all the picture of terror and ferocity which some classify them as. Wolves endure many false stereotypes and misunderstandings in their lives."
This book was hitting all the facts dead on as I read more and more, getting really in depth with understanding what every sentence meant.
"The wolf possesses a high intellect and is a representative of high faith and understanding."
I looked up from the book, staring at nothing but air. Many thoughts were running through my head, starting with how these words described the history of my pack, of my family. As I looked back to the pages, going on, I tried to picture what animal totem Edward would be. The one that caught my eye most was the Falcon.
"A born leader, the Falcon is always looked upon to make decisions. This animal never wastes time, rather they strike when the iron is hot, taking action for what must be done. They are always taking the initiative, being ever persistent. The Falcon is known to be a little on the conceited side, yet they are always right in their opinions, so arrogance is understood."
I smiled at this paragraph, deciding this was definitely his spirit animal. Every word had fit his personality with so much detail it was strange.
"The Falcon can be vain, rude, intolerant, impatient, and over-sensitive but they soar in their ability to spark fire and maintain a passion in a relationship."
"Well, they got the first part right" I mumbled, closing the book and tucking it under my arm. That night, as I stayed up reading page after page of folklore, my fathers' tales started to make more sense. My heart thudded powerfully as I wondered if I really did have a wolf spirit guide, someone to help me through my life. As I thought about it I discovered I really didn't know as much as I thought I did about myself, my tribe, or the vampires. Suddenly I knew what I had to do. I had to find out who I really was, become one with both sides of my body – the wolf and the human – before I could even begin to help the Cullens.
"Spirit of the wolf…please, I beg you to help" I whispered to the darkness as I lay on the couch in the dead of night, listening to the crickets chirp through the steady howl of the wind.
"The journey begins in the heart."