A/N: I am finally back from Texas, where I had no internet. It was like living during the Stone Age (not really but you get the point). I haven't really edited or looked over this chapter and the next one but I feel like I must post them. If you find that they really really need editing just leave me a note and I will get to it, if not I will begin to write chapter 17.
After my decision to live both lives, I was like a woman on a mission. Five days after I came back home, I called Alice and she got in touch with Nessie for me. I truly hated waiting. She was supposed to be here an hour ago. Where was she? My pacing increased; I couldn't stop myself. Where was she?
"Cat. Stop pacing. Calm down. She'll be here soon." Alice said trying and failing to calm me down.
"I can't! You said she'd be here."
"Jake distracted her. She'll be here in ten minutes unless there's any traffic."
"Ok…" I stopped pacing and sat down. I heard a car pass by and jumped towards the door but it continued.
"Cat. SIT!" I returned to my tan couch and sprawled out on it, being careful to keep an ear out for Nessie. I had learned to move my tail to the side and it was currently swishing with impatience. I let my eyes roam over the living room. The red walls, the wide-screen TV in front of me, the four blue bean bags on the floor (still here even after my brothers moved out), the single chair, the oriental rug, and finally the stacks of DVDs spread out on the TV stand. Alice was lying across three of the beanbags, tossing a pink ball up and down.
I began to hum as I waited, reverting to the habit I'd picked up in the asylum. I should have probably stopped…it was kinda creepy. My humming slowed as I heard a car stop in front of my house.
"She's here!" I ran to the door and opened it as Nessie was lifting her arm to knock.
"Hey Cat…WOW…you look awesome. I'm loving the eyes." Only you. They creep everyone else out. My golden eyes were rimmed with wolf-like silver.
"Hey, Come in." I let her enter and offered her a seat on my sofa. "How are you?"
"I'm good. I'm more worried about you! How have you been? I'm glad you're safe."I stared at her for a minute before responding. She was wearing a bright blue flowing skirt and a white halter with a bluebird-colored border.
"Yeah, you should thank Emmett and Rosalie for that."
"Hey Alice."
"Hiya Nessie," Alice threw the ball up in the air and Nessie caught it for her. "Hey!"
"You were distracting me," She argued. "So I got your message, Cat. You're ready to choose?" I nodded and perched on the armchair of the single chair in our living room. "Alright Cat, so what was your question?"
"Can I be both? I know you told me I had the option to choose. Does that mean I can be both?" Nessie looked thoughtful for a moment. Her eyebrows came together and she scrunched her nose up.
"I'm not sure. Our research simply stated that you had to choose. I suppose that means you can chose both if you wanted to. Why don't you just try and see?"
"Ok..." I decided to complete my transformation rather than undoing it first. "How do I change?" Nessie giggled.
"How should I know? Jake does it magically. One minute he's human, the next he's wolf."
"Oh ok." I took a deep breath. "I think I'm just supposed to think about it and then I change…Alright. I'm gonna go for it." I hopped off the chair and stood in the middle of the room. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. It was much easier said than done. I concentrated on my body and on transforming. I felt my limbs shrink and then elongate. My nose lengthened and I felt my pores prickle as hair began to grow. There was no pain this time. Just tingles and prickles thank god. I shook myself out and the transformation was completed.
"Oh…you're so pretty Cat." Nessie knelt down and held her hand out. I tested my limbs and took a step forward. I felt incredibly powerful. I inched towards her hand and sniffed it warily. It smelt familiar…I could smell the vampire in her but I could also smell vanilla and dog. I turned to look at Alice and moved to smell her. She took a step back and I stopped. What do I look like? I walked past Alice and into my bathroom where I had a full-length mirror.
I stopped in front of the mirror and froze. I was huge…for a wolf, for a dog. I can't describe it except by comparing myself to species of dogs. I was as tall as a Great Dane, but wider…I mean not as slender but not fat either. I was a reddish brown color…like some Boxers. My belly and certain parts of my face were a paler reddish brown. I had longish hair along my belly and tail, and short hair on my face and back, again like a Siberian Husky. My eyes were golden rimmed with silver. I had never seen eyes this color. I suppose they are unique to vampire werewolves. My paws were huge and fuzzy. I tried lifting them up one by one and felt their strength. With this new body, I felt stronger, could see clearer, and could hear better than as a human and even a vampire. I think the mixture of the two made a stronger and more viable creature than simply one or the other. It was a huge surprise. I knew that I was still vampire because I still thirsted for blood and werewolves don't.
I sat down in front of my mirror studying my body. Noticing that my freckles had not all together disappeared in my wolf self but had blended in with my new coloring. I tried moving all of my body parts and found that they moved swiftly and fluidly. There were no jerky movements; I was all grace and elegance.
"Cat? Are you ok in there?" My ears pricked up at the sound of Alice's voice. I turned from the sink and bounded into the living room.
"GOD, Cat! You scared the shit out of me." I giggled…hmm sounds like when dogs hiccup. "Don't you growl at me!" I tilted my head to the side to show her my innocence.
"She wasn't growling, Alice. She was laughing." Nessie translated. Thank you. I wagged my tail in thanks.
"Oh…well that's even worse." Alice huffed. She turned to look at me. "Could you please change back? So you can talk like a real person?" I could tell I was making her uncomfortable. I inched closer and she took a step back. Yep, Alice was freaking out. I decided to change back rather than mortify her any longer. I sat on my haunches and closed my eyes. All I felt this time was a woosh of air and I knew I was done. I opened my eyes and saw both Alice and Nessie blushing.
"What?" I asked.
"Could you please put on some clothes?" Alice tossed me the clothing I had been wearing before.
"Oh…" I grabbed it out of her hands and fled to the bathroom. As soon as I was done changing I came right back out. "Hey Nessie? How come I didn't rip my clothes apart?"
"Oh, they only rip when you change super super fast. When you change how you're supposed to, your clothes just slide right off." That sort of makes sense. Silence.
"So…" Ugh, I hate awkward silences.
"Are you excited to go to Cornell?" Nessie, finally asked.
"Yeah. I guess." I replied, in fact I tried not to think about college. I was terrified of going. My stomach rolled up in knots each time my mom mentioned it.
"I know I am! I love college; it's so much cooler than high school. This time I'm planning on becoming a pediatrician. I loved med school!" Alice said.
"Cool! When I get out of high school I want to go to Columbia and study journalism. What are you going to do Cat?" Nessie said.
"Well…I'm going to do four years of pre-vet, which is like pre-med and then I'm going to apply to either UPenn or Texas A & M if Cornell rejects me from their veterinarian program."
"Sounds like fun! You're both going to Cornell, right?" Alice nodded. "So are you going to be roommates?"
"Yep! Rose is going to be our third roommate." Alice said.
"You haven't even asked me yet!"
"Sure I did…in the future you say yes. End of story." Alice chirped. I simply smiled. It would be fun to be with people I already knew, but I'd also want to make new friends and forget a little bit about my last year of high school. There's too much drama for me to want to remember all of it. "OK, Fine. I'll ask you. Would you like to room with Rosalie and I?"
"Hmmm…well I don't know. I wouldn't mind rooming with Rosalie, but that Alice girl. She's mad weird…and probably smells." I teased.
"Cat! I am going to smack you!" Alice yelled crawling over the bean bags to reach me. I laughed and moved out of her way.
"Ok, ok. I'll room with you."
"Really?" Alice asked. I nodded. "YAY!!!!!" I could always switch out if I wanted to. I turned my gaze away from Alice, doing a happy dance and onto Nessie. She smiled and gave me the she's crazy signal (where you twirl your finger near you forehead). "Cat! We have to pack your stuff!"
"Now?" I hadn't planned to pack until two days I had two days left.
"Of course!" Alice chirped. "Nessie, you'll help too, right?"
"Sure thing. Let's get to it!"
We walked into my room and I dragged the packing boxes out from under my bed. Alice opened my closet while Nessie built up the boxes. I turned to my bookshelf.
Here We Go…