Elsie groaned as sunlight streamed through the room, her alarm clock sounding for the third time. Slamming down the snooze button she begrudgingly sat up, shoving the blanket off her as she shut the alarm off angrily. Why couldn't she just be done with school already? Taking a quick shower, Elsie cursed as she checked the time. She barely had enough time to get dressed and make some toast, let alone dry her hair or apply makeup. She grabbed the closest articles of clean clothing she could find, jumping through the house as she slipped on her shoes, popping her toast down.
Elsie didn't bother turning when the door opened, knowing it would be Sam coming in to hurry her up; he typically dropped her off at school each morning, and Edward would drive her back to his family home until a member of the pack could pick her up in the evenings. This schedule had been working well for them until the other vampire they were tracking became braver, crossing over into their territory far too often for their liking. As such, Elsie had been getting shuffled over to the Cullens more than she was comfortable with while the wolves tracked the red-haired vampire through the town.
By this point, she trusted that they weren't going to kill her—they couldn't have kept Bella alive this long if any of them were that type of vampire. But still, it felt unnerving. They reminded her so much of her brother with their pale, cold skin, quickness, and lack of appetite for 'human' food. Alice seemed to bother her the least, as she seemed the most human, in a way. And Carlisle wasn't bad either; his job at the hospital had required him to act human more often than the others. Esme had actually started to feel like somewhat of a mother figure for her, often reminding her to do her homework and preparing a small (or large) snack for her after she returned home from school. And then there was Emmett – the inappropriate big brother that Elsie wouldn't have minded having around. Life with the Cullens was different, but it wasn't bad by any means.
Elsie piled her wet hair into a bun on her head, securing it with a hairband before quickly running some mascara through her lashes, the only makeup she had time for. As her toast popped up, Elsie slung her backpack on her back, wrapping the toast up in a paper towel before turning towards the door. "I'm ready, Sam!" she called, expecting him to have retreated outside to the porch to wait impatiently for her. But as she looked up, Elsie saw that it was not Sam standing there waiting for her, but someone she had never seen before. She froze for a moment, awkwardly looking left and right in confusion, searching for someone who could explain who the hell this was for her.
"Hey," he said, waving at her momentarily before shoving his hands back into the pockets of his shorts. Taking in his appearance, Elsie determined he had to be a member of the pack; he was just a large as Sam, and wore the standard uniform of the pack: a sleeveless top and cutoff jean shorts—though, most of them rarely ever bothered with a shirt in the first place. "Hi…" she replied hesitantly as he approached her, gently taking her backpack from her and walking towards the door. "You're going to be late," he warned, motioning for her to follow him. Elsie stood there for a few more moments before shrugging, following him outside.
"No way in hell I'm getting on that!" Elsie exclaimed, spotting the boy's chosen form of transportation – a motorcycle. The boy laughed, tossing her a helmet. "It's either this or you're skipping school today."
"But I don't even know who the hell you are! How am I supposed to trust your skills on this…this…death trap!" She crossed her arms over her chest, seriously contemplating just skipping school altogether. He smirked at her, before replying, "I'm Jacob Black. Now, are you coming or not? Sam will be pissed if I let you skip, but it's up to you…" Elsie tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing as she examined him for a moment, trying to determine if he was kidding or not. He looked fairly serious despite the constant smirk that seemed to be glued to his face. Sighing in anger, she finally gave in, climbing onto the motorcycle behind him, mumbling, "Stupid English Lit test…" After placing the helmet on her head and instructing her to hold on tight, Jacob sped away, Elsie burying her head against his back and closing her eyes. If they were going to die in a fiery explosion she didn't want to see it.
It seemed that only minutes had passed before Jacob pulled onto the parking lot of Forks High, coming to a stop near the front entrance, shutting off the motor amid stares and glares of curious onlookers. Elsie finally opened her eyes, relieved and invigorated by the ride to school. Removing the helmet, she fixed her damp hair quickly before handing the helmet back to Jacob, taking her backpack from him. "Thanks," she said, flashing a small smile for him. "That was actually kind of great." He nodded, staring at her directly for longer than Elsie was accustomed to. She felt heat rush to her cheeks as she forced herself to look down, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"I'll pick you up here after school lets out," he explained, looking over Elsie's shoulder before quickly continuing. "See you later!" Elsie turned to find Edward and Bella fast approaching, Bella glaring at her angrily. Before she could process the look she was giving her, the motorcycle roared to life, Jacob speeding away. "Jake, wait-" Bella exclaimed, kicking a nearby rock as she watched him speed off. "When did he get back?" she asked, turning to Elsie.
"I'm not sure," Elsie said, shrugging. "He was just there when I woke up this morning." She glanced over at Edward who was smirking, trying to cover his mouth with his hand as Bella turned around, stalking off towards her first class. "What was that about?" Elsie asked him quietly. Edward pat her on the shoulder gently, replying, "You'll have to ask Jacob about that someday." He tried not to look hurt as Elsie instinctively flinched away from his touch. After the years of uncertainty and abuse she had endured from her brother she found it hard to not react negatively to the touch of a vampire.
As Elsie made her way through her day she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander to this new guy, this 'Jacob Black' she had heard so much about. He seemed almost like a legend—someone who was spoken about often but never actually seen in person. She was beginning to think he would never return home in the first place. Smiling, she imagined the look on Billy's face when he found out his son had finally returned home after being gone for so long. Much to her confusion, Elsie found that thoughts of Jacob not only excited her, but also made her feel sad, as if she could burst into tears at any moment. The complexity of the emotions was overwhelming her, and she found herself skipping class, hiding out in the school library. As she sat on the floor, knees pulled into her chest, she tried to hold herself together.
"Are you doing alright, Elsie?" She jumped, having not heard Edward sit down next to her. Elsie shrugged, trying to put her thoughts into words but failing. Edward laughed, gaining a deadly glare from Elsie. How could he laugh at her when she was feeling this way?! Quickly apologizing, Edward was silent for several moments before speaking again. "What you're feeling is…normal, given your situation."
"What situation?" Elsie asked angrily. "I wake up to a stranger offering to take me to school on a motorcycle. Then Bella—one of the only friends I have—gets pissed at me for no damn reason and avoids me. I can't stop thinking about him and all that makes me want to do is cry. Tell me how this is normal in any way, Edward!" Elsie had heard others joke about 'love at first sight'—but she had never believed it could be a real feeling. Yet, how else could she explain her feelings for Jacob? She had just met him and felt more connected to him than she ever had any of her previous boyfriends. There was something about him that she couldn't resist. The entire situation was maddeningly frustrating.
"Just…hold on for a little longer. Jacob will be here to pick you up from school and everything will be explained later." Flashing her a small smile, Edward stood, leaving her. He never tried to stay near her for too long. He's a mind reader, Elsie reminded herself. He can probably see how uncomfortable his kind makes me…Edward had no reason to lie to her, so Elsie did just as he said. She forced herself to move throughout her day in an almost robotic state, glancing at the clock every few minutes, counting down the seconds until she could see Jacob again.
