We were in the car riding down a dirt road that lead into the forest, Jake was scarfing down a hotdog as we rode on, I had all but forgotten my poor friend Mike Newton though I had already noted within my head to get Mike a new pet; preferably a larger one. It was odd, I thought to myself, how so convenient it is that there are so many forests around Forks… maybe the Cullens paid off people to put up their own reservations. There are so many close parks nearby how else could Forks have like 7 parks in a 20 mile radius?
"You know a ton of things that could help us," mumbled Jacob scarfing down his hotdog we'd bought from the store, which also conveniently had a small cook shop inside. Then again Jacob knew where the food was in Forks. He could probably smell it a mile away… could he smell me a mile away?
"Jacob what do I smell like?" Jacob just stared at me for a moment. "Eyes on road! How is it men do that all the time thinking nothing bad will happen? Just because its on Fast and the Furious 2 doesn't mean-"
"Bella you smell…" He sniffed me from where he was sitting, "…like apple pie."
"What? How? Why?"
"It's a good smell Bella. You smell like cinnamon and apples… and kind of a rain smell."
"Great I smell like wet dog and McDonald's dollar menu pie," I breathed.
"I can't wait til you tell us things like the powers vampires can have! We didn't know those myths were true…"
"There are so many myths that are! You are a myth so why doubt things?"
"Just tell us do they have any fears?" I sat there staring out as rain came pouring down lightly over the car. Why the rain? Why was Forks so convenient in that it rained nearly every day for vampires? You'd think God would've gotten the message that most of the vampires here had left. He pulled over, running over a cricket and adding a victory to the spiders, and cut off the engine to my car. Why was it I let him drive my car?
"Time to tell them something important," he replied bouncing up off the seat and opening the door. "I'm going to fix your brakes tomorrow, they hardly stopped at the stop sign. I'll do it for free Bells, just so long as you talk to the gang." Oh that's why I let him drive my car. The free mechanic shop he was. He stopped though, just when it looked like he was going to hop out of the car, a cricket that waited behind an ant hill spying on a spider army that had been under Jacob's foot and squealed in anger. "Just wondering… are you… think you're getting over him?"
"I'm not sure entirely but… I… well I'm indecisive to be honest but I think I am on my to being over him… and possibly…"
"Yeah," Jacob breathed at my voice when it trailed off, he scooted back into the seat as a small smile came to my face.
"Possibly I may be…" He leaned forward hopefully with a grin on his face, I leaned forward not knowing why, "I may actually be…" here I laughed without knowing why.
"JACOB! Get your wolf hide over here," called a voice! Jacob groaned and rolled his eyes slumping enthusiastically against the chair of the truck slamming his head on the back of the seat.
"WHY NOW! You KNEW what was happening!" I had no clue what they were talking about and found half of myself liking the fact that there had been an interruption and the other half of me was killing whomever it was mentally with a sharp spoon. We got out of the car and I walked forward beside Jacob fearing to leave his side but ready to meet this 'fearsome' group! I was not some pansy ass who followed behind Jacob. He reached out and gripped onto my hand tightly. Besides how fearsome could they be? I'd taken pictures with them at one point. Though a small shiver ran down my spine, I still thought Sam was creepy.
We walked towards four really big half-naked boys. They looked like quadruplets. They were synchronized in their movements. "I thought you said you weren't taking vows to join the military?" I hissed in Jake's ear as we got a few steps closer and stood still in front of them. They had rippling muscles under their wonderfully tanned skin, the same cropped black hair, and were all extremely tall. …Oh that's why I made them pose with me despite the fact I disliked them………………. A cricket admired Sam from where he hid behind the ant hill…………… Suddenly when they saw me, I wondered how they didn't see me if Jacob could smell my apple-pie-ness, they were all furious.
Bella! Get away now! There are wolves around you! And you're my friggin' lamb! Yeah well I was your lamb too and you were a freaking lion. Get out of my head. I got in reply a growl back and then heard another growl.
"Jacob," he growled. One of the others, Paul or Jared, thrust past Sam before Jacob could defend himself and hissed, "Why can't you follow the rules? Is she more important then everything? The whole tribe?" Get away from that guy!
………….. Edward was sitting on the bar in the kitchen as Esme went around making dishes of food for the poor. Carlisle came in and wrapped his arms around Esme as Edward saw a vision of 4 werewolf men. He'd just growled, "Get away from that guy." Esme looked back at Edward and gave Carlisle a questioning look. Edward saw Paul and heard the words coming out of his mouth in his mind. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THE WOMAN I LOVE!"…………………. Carlisle and Esme jumped apart with Carlisle questioning Esme, "Um… have you given Edward any reason to love you dear? He's far too young for you, is our son, and I'll beat the hell out of him if you say you've been having an affair." Carlisle looked hurt and close to tears if he could have tears that is…………
GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THE WOMAN I LOVE! Bella heard in her mind and let out a squeak! Love?… Edward? You still love me?
…….Edward answered both at the same time turning to face Carlisle and Esme, "I didn't meant to say that."…….
I didn't mean to say that, Bella heard in her head.
"She can help!"
….Carlisle smiled and said, "Well thank you Edward. She is my wife." He turned to smile at Esme full of love in his eyes. "My beautiful wife."…………
"Help! By what shaking her tail in a picture or wearing skanky clothes to get that leech jealous?"
……..Edward yelled at Paul's reply, "Don't you call her that asshole! She's radiant and looks good in everything she wears! Butt out of her business."…….. Carlisle stepped away from his wife once more… Esme said, "Thank you Edward but how was he in my business. What I wear is his business too."……
Don't you call her that asshole! She's radiant and looks good in everything she wears! Butt out of her business.
"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" A shudder rippled through the boy's spine as well as Jacob's.
…….. "Do we need to go to a shrink Edward?" Carlisle asked. "I can't have you thinking these things about my wife, your mom." Carlisle wrapped his arm around Esme and held her tightly…………
"Paul calm down!" Paul growled back at Sam as the others tried to get him to shut up.
"Get a hold on yourself."
"Maybe I'll let Bella do that for me," he smirked another ripple running through his body as his hand gripped tightly as if trying to focus his anger on that. He glared at me.
…… "Touch my woman," Edward shouted, "and I'll kill you!" Carlisle and Esme stared at each other with widened eyes……………….
Touch my woman and I'll kill you.
"Say one more thing about her! And I will kick your ass," growled Jacob.
"Take her side why don't you! That two-bit hook-" But it wasn't Paul that launched himself at Jacob. It was the reverse. Jacob launched himself at Paul punching him in the face as Paul stayed on the ground turning into a large silver ball of fir and molding into the shape of a wolf. His eyes focused on me but Jacob immediately phased into a wolf form to match Paul's and bit him to get Paul's attention before chasing off to the woods to lead Paul away from me. It worked.
"Jacob!" I screamed. Something had broken inside of me. Something that had kept me standing still in more ways then one. Something that would've normally kept me back screaming like a pansy. I ran for the woods not intending to wait behind and call out for him like a damsel in distress. Sam grabbed hold of me and pulled me back.
"Stay where you are! Jacob wouldn't want you hurt!"
……….. "Bella listen to Sam and stay there! Its dangerous!" Carlisle looked at Esme and walked over towards Edward passing his hand up and down in front of Edward's face only to see that Edward wasn't paying him the slightest attention. Carlisle pulled out a stethoscope and placed it against Edward's chest and then realized Edward didn't have a beating heart. "Esme, Edward's seeing things."…..
Bella listen to Sam and stay there! Its dangerous!
"To hell with that," I hissed answering the voice in my head as well as Sam. I began struggling against Sam as I heard the snapping and growling in the woods. Sam jerked me in his arms to look at him.
"Take her to Emily's now," he hissed towards the other 2 guys. They nodded and grabbed hold of my thrashing arms. I could see Jacob through the woods, the russet wolf snapping at the gray wolf, shoving him deeper into the forest. Sam kicked his shoes off and took off for the woods.
"What the hell? Let me go! Jacob!" Jared, I think, threw me over his shoulders kicking and screaming. The growling and snapping was facing away and it was quet. The guys started laughing their heads off. "PUT ME DOWN!"
"There's something I see every day," grumbled Jared to Embry as he jostled me on his shoulder to keep me from moving a lot and held tighter onto my waist.
"Don't get too used to that," I growled! "Move your hand any lower and I'll beat your ass!" Embry laughed his head off.
"Is that a promise?" Jared grinned at Embry's remark.
"Embry I wouldn't do that if I were you. She's Jake's girl." Embry picked up the torn shoes whistling.
"You got me there I couldn't deal with that. Look at these shoes! Charlie's going to be mad. This was Jake's last pair." He ran over to where Sam had disappeared and brought back a bunch of clothes. Did they have to be naked to transform?
"You're not going to faint are you?" Embry asked looking at me as I hung there ilimply on Jared's shoulder.
"No but I'll beat both your asses if Jared doesn't put me down! I'm getting sick up here with my gut pressed into his shoulder."
"Well I hope Paul gets a mouthful of him," Jared said, "Teach him a lesson!"
"Hey," I hissed smacking his back. "I take that as an insult and please let me down!"
"Did you see Jake? Sam can't phase that easily. As soon as he saw Paul phasing he knew he had to protect her and BAM! Like in half a second he was the big bad wolf baby! He's got a gift," replied Embry.
"Paul's been fighting longer. Ten bucks he leaves a mark."
"You're on." They shook hands grinning as I wiggled on Jared's shoulder.
"Get me down or you won't ever live to see ten bucks," I breathed squirming and kicking as hard as I could and groaning as my toe hit his shoulder and a sudden pain shot through it.
"He shouldn't have brought his girlfriend into this," replied Jared finally putting me down. I hobbled on my feet for a moment or two not used to walking on my own for a while.
"He's not my boyfriend anymore. He's working on it… its just complicated," I grumbled. The two men looked at each other for a split second before saying, "Women."
"What's complicated about it? Do you like him?" Embry asked as we walked towards my car.
"Don't you guys have a car?"
"We're going to use yours since unlike us you don't have paws that make you faster," replied Jared. "Now answer my friend's question please."
"Which one the question about complication or the like question?"
"The like question," grumbled Embry. "Where are the keys?"
"Under my seat. I'm not too stupid to leave them in the ignition," I replied as he opened the door and Jared got to the other door. "Yes I like him."
"In the right way?"
"In the right way."
"Then whats the problem?"
"I haven't liked someone in the right way for a while and I'm scared that if I go with Jacob he might end up like Edward or Edward might show up because I know that he may still care for me… or I think its him that said that… that part is complicated I can't say how I heard anything or… I'm crazy…. But that is what I worry about and…"
"And you worry your feelings for Jacob won't be stronger than the ones for Edward," muttered Jared sliding in on his side of the car as I got into the other one and then Embry slid in after me and started up the car.
"You're good," I replied.
"That'll be five bucks please Bella."