Chapter 6: Vacation
I stepped out onto the porch. We had gotten here at about 5 in the morning. The clocks here were etching on three in the afternoon. I stared at the glistening water reflecting the sun off of its choppy waves. We were a good hundred miles from anyone, deep in the woods. It was a small cottage, I wasn't even sure if there was anyone who owned it, but Ellie told me it would be fine. Last night we shared a bed. She had brought sheets, and there was a brand new mattress that still had the plastic over it in the back of it. I didn't remember much after us making the bed.
The forest was flooded with the scent of wolves, and not the ones that were supposed to be in the woods. But the trails were awfully old, maybe a few weeks old. I looked around, the smell making me feel awfully homesick, but every time I felt homesick I felt angry. I didn't want to be here in Washington, but I couldn't just tell Ellie to pack up and to walk away from all of this. It wouldn't be right, especially not after I had promised her.
I sighed. Looking up towards the water, close to a dock, I spotted a dark silhouette off by the water, ankle deep in the cold waves. I looked down as I made my way across the porch and down the steps, careful not to make a sound as I approached. It was Ellie. She bent over, grabbing a bucket, pouring water over her shiny, soap covered nude body, her lips pale from the non-heated, shaded water. I stared at her as she bent over again; dragging her soft fingers down her silky, smooth, bare legs. I traced the contours of body, up the middle of her legs, and followed her crack all the way up her curved spine. She hadn't noticed me yet, and I was glad. I stared at her wet, black hair as it clung to her wet shoulders. I wheezed. She whirled around.
"Oh Seth! You're up!" She smiled, but she didn't leap forward to cover herself. I stared at her confused. Turning, facing me she grabbed a bottle of shampoo and lifted it. "You want to bath?" She questioned. My breath caught in my throat as I slowly nodded my head. She wasn't Ella, but god damn was she gorgeous. Ellie smiled and motioned me into the water. Reaching down I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and hiked it up over my head and threw it into a pile with hers, then my pants and boxers. She giggled. "You excited?" I looked at her shocked, then down to where her eyes met with my body. I gasped and jumped off of the bank and into the water.
I could hear her musical laughter as the water nipped at my flesh, the cold taking my breath away, but it was relaxing. Putting my feet to the bottom I shoved myself up before I got too far out. Breaking the surface, I pushed the hair out of my face and looked back at her noticing that she was farther out, closer to me.
Holding her hand out she handed me the bottle. I held my hands out as she poured some of the strawberry scented liquid into my water puddle palms.
"You couldn't have chosen a more manly shampoo could you have?" I muttered, sarcastically. She laughed.
"You're more attractive when you smell like strawberries." She winked at me. I grunted.
"To who? You or the bears?" She laughed again and pulled the bottle away, clicking the top shut. Bringing my hands up I dragged it through my hair, working the soap into a foamy lather. She was right; it was an attractive smelling shampoo. It smelt just like regular strawberries, making my stomach growl. She laughed.
"The only bear here is you." She snorted. I let off a growl and made claws with my hands. She laughed as soap oozed down my forehead and into my eyes.
"Ouch!" I snarled, slapping my face into the water. She cackled, a slight snort escaping from her nose. I looked up at her, water gushing off of my nose and my lips. "Did you just snort?" I smiled. She laughed harder, snorting more, causing me to laugh. "What's so funny?" I whined.
"You got soap in your eye." She panted, trying to catch her breath.
"It's not that funny." I pouted, teasing her. She shook her head, grabbing at her stomach as she laughed.
"It's funny when it's you, because you're all like…fierce then BAM! Something so small stops you." I snorted and splashed her.
"Well you're all like…blah." I didn't know a witty comeback to tell her. She laughed and splashed me back.
"Oh that was smooth Cool Whip." I cranked my hand back and splashed her with all I had. She screamed. Lunging forward at me she pounced on me, forcing me under the water. "Rinse your head…dumbo!" She grunting, laughing as she struggled me under. I had to give it to her. I fell under the water, but on the way down, I pulled her down with me. Pushing her under me I pushed myself up to the surface. I heard her emerge seconds later as I was wiping the water from my eyes, making sure that I wouldn't get anymore in my eyes; spitting out some so make sure I wouldn't swallow it either.
"You're violent in the morning." I smiled, watching her brush her wet hair out of her face, coughing. She smiled at me, glaring at me through narrow eyes. She splashed me.
"Only because you're a butt head." She joked back. I nodded, my lips puckered.
"Yep, and I'm proud of it too." She giggled and turned around, heading for land. "Where are you going?" I questioned, following her.
"You're hungry aren't you?" She questioned, looking back at me. I nodded, but stopped to wonder what it was we had to eat. She climbed out. My eyes were glued to her body as it dripped, drizzling in long streams as she walked across the ground to her stuff. Her skin was stretched tight over her joints and her muscles. Some parts of her body were mainly fat…but those were only the parts I liked the most. Stopping next to the pile, I watched as her body twisted the wet silk folding as she bent over. She looked back at me and stopped. I didn't realize that I must have been staring at her so intently till she stood up and cleared her throat. "You're eyes gonna fall out?" She giggled. I blinked and shook my head, looking up to her face.
"No! Just…" I didn't know what to say. She just laughed and rolled her eyes.
"You don't know what you're talking about, so just stop right now." She joked, winking at me. I smiled at her and nodded.
"Yep, true, never have and never will know what I'm talking about." I chuckled. I followed her example and climbed out, the sound of water gushing from my body, slapping against the mud underneath my feet. She grabbed my clothes and handed them out to me. "Thank you." She returned it with a nod.
"No prob, although I prefer a…physical thanking." She winked at me, starting to head for the house. I gasped as she went on ahead. She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I was kidding Seth, calm the hormones before it gets so long you can spear fish with it." She looked down again. I put my shirt in front of it, my face turning hot as I followed her up the incline to the cottage. "So, you never really told me about you that much, even though we'd known each other for so long." She broke the silence, climbing up on the porch, her jean shorts wet from not drying off first. Grabbing the door she pulled it open and held it until I got there. I reached out and held it open as she pushed the larger, non-screened door open.
"I don't have much to tell." I lied. Well, it wasn't really a lie. I did have a lot to tell, but none that I could tell her.
"Well, you'll tell me what you can, right?" She smiled at me as she slid her bra on, laying her shirt and stuff on the kitchen table. I returned her smile with a nod.
"Sure, why not?" She turned around and walked over to a battery powered cooler that ran by solar panel in the day. She pulled out a carton of eggs and a large ham. It was a hugged cooler, and it was stacked to the top with food that needed to be kept cool. My jaw pulled, wanting to drop. "Well," I looked back and pulled out a chair, sitting in it. "When I was born I was born with a disease where my body burned hotter than other kids. My sister was born with the same problem. Right when we thought we were the only ones we found a group of other kids in our school with the same problem, we became friends right off the back." I explained, trying to remember all of the details I had told Stormy. That I had lied to her about.
"Wow, the doctors ever find out what it was?" She looked over her shoulder at me, breaking an egg open, putting it over a rack in a fireplace like oven slash stove thing. I shook my head.
"Nah, they figured it's not important seeing how I haven't had any problems with it. A few years ago an old family friend who had moved away before I could walk, and comes to find out they had a daughter," Here was the most painful part of my story. "I fell in love with her. She was the same age as me," I whispered.
"You don't sound too happy about this." She replied, looking at me sympathetically. I chuckled dryly.
"She didn't care about me. She had a thing for one of my friends. But he had a crush on her sister." She inhaled through her teeth with a hurt expression on her face.
"Ouch." I nodded.
"Yeah, for more than one of use. Well, he showed her all of the attention, so she decided she'd let him live happily and we started dating." A faint smile stretched across my face as I remembered Ella's face whenever she was with me then. Her smile. God I'd kill to see that again. "Unfortunately, we were to get married, but her sister destroyed it. She caught everything on fire, and told me that she had sex with another one of my friends, but I should have known that she just wanted to make her life miserable, but instead, I walked away. She almost died that day. Once her sister died, she moved in, so I left just a few weeks after." I shrugged my shoulders, itching my neck. "That's why I told you I didn't love you like that…why I couldn't-" She came to my side and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I looked at the wall over her shoulder shocked. "Ellie?"
"Seth, I love you, and it kills me to know you were nothing but a substitute to her." She pulled away and looked into my eyes. "But I love you, and you are more than the world to me Seth. You are my life." I looked away from her, my heart breaking. I nodded.
"I know…I just-"
"Just need some time to let it sink in." She whispered. I looked at her, dreading her expression, but she was smiling that beautiful, glistening smile of hers, soft in the afternoon sunlight. I smiled and nodded, leaning my forehead against hers.
"I feel like I can love you, although I thought it was impossible." I whispered. She smiled and pulled away, turning to attend to the almost burning eggs. I looked at her with a longing in my heart. I haven't felt this way since the last day I was with Ella.
"So what was her name? or does she go by she in person as well?" She teased. I laughed.
"Her name is Mayella. I call her Ella though, just to be different when people call her May." I replied, proudly. She grunted.
"Makes me wish my name wasn't Eleanor." She giggled dryly. I looked at her confused.
"Why?" She grabbed a couple plastic plates out of her bag and put the eggs on them.
"My nickname is so close to that, Ellie?" She looked at me, her eyes glistening. I thought about it and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm guessing you're right." She cut up the ham and threw it over the fire, frying it up.
"She sounds like scum." Ellie commented at last. I sighed and shook my head.
"No, there are reasons why they don't want to separate." I couldn't tell her about our imprinting. She knew nothing of us werewolves, therefore, she wouldn't understand, and it was a better idea to keep it a secret.
"Still no reason to act like that, did she even act sorry when she chose him over you?" She pressed. I shook my head, my shoulders hinting at a shrug.
"She has no reason too; she can decide who she loves." She sighed and pulled the ham off of the metal and onto the plates and shut the door on the oven thing, smothering the fire. Turning she handed me a plate. I took it from her. "Thanks." She smiled and put her plate on the table. Grabbing her bag she pulled out a little box of silverware and handed me a knife and a fork.
"You want some milk?" She looked at me. I smiled and nodded. Grabbing a couple plastic cups, she walked back over to the cooler and pulled out the milk. Taking the cap off of it, she used her other hand to steady the cup and poured the creamy, white liquid into the cups. Returning the cap she turned and stuffed it away again, followed by the ham. I waited until she sat down before I started eating. Most of our meal was in silence. It felt so peaceful here with her. I could live the rest of my life with her and never have to return to them. Never have to return to Sam, or Jake, or Jared.
"Ellie?" I whispered, shoveling in some ham. She looked up at me, chewing.
"Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Have you ever wanted to…you know…get married and have kids?" I questioned. She swallowed and put her fork and knife on the table. She thought about it. Clenching her fist she cleared her throat, sounding hesitant. I looked deeply into her eyes as if I could get an answer from them. She stared at the table and slowly nodded her head.
"Yeah, someday, why?" She asked. I smiled and nodded. Standing, I walked around the table and stood in front of her. Reaching down I laid my hand on her cheek, looking into her eyes, feeling a similar feeling to what I had felt when I was with Ella.
"I'm ready." I whispered, bending over, kissing her. I felt her breath catch in her throat as I pulled away. I turned and headed for the bedroom. I wanted to know for sure. I wanted to know if this was what I really wanted. I wanted kids, and a family, and Ella wasn't going to give me that, even if she chose me over Jake. Jake didn't want kids. He didn't want a family. I know he didn't, that's why he had told Carlisle to let them go…that's why he told Xio to take them away. Ellie would be my wife someday, and with her, I would have little shape-shifting babies. We would be happy. That was my life now. That was my dream.
