Renewal

Chapter 3

Brady

"Brady!" Collin yelled, reaching for me. I turned, but there was nothing to see. The man with the knife was slumped against the wall, unconscious, with blood dripping down his nose.

Her fist was still in the air. She lowered it and I could feel her glare. I turned to look at her.

Whoa. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before. For a moment, my heart stopped beating. And then it beat for her.

Waves of emotion drowned me, tossed me endlessly in an invisible sea. But I wasn't dying. She was my oxygen. She was keeping me alive.

But obviously she wasn't feeling the love. She looked downright pissed.

"Nobody," she spat, "gets in my way. I don't need help."

"I'm sorry-" I said.

"Shut up. You're not sorry. You just want what they wanted, maybe in a slightly more innocent form."

"Hey, lady-" Collin growled.

"For your information, my name is Kris," she snapped.

"Fine. But we saved your life, Kris. Don't forget that," Collin said. "You could give us some respect."

"I don't do respect," she spat. She turned on her heels towards the end of the alleyway. Towards a brick wall.

"Hey-" I yelled. What was she doing?!

To my surprise, she jumped, took two steps on the wall's side, and grabbed the ledge. It seemed like nothing for her to pull herself up and jump over. I stared in open-mouthed awe.

Jacob bent down and picked up something white out of a puddle. He handed it to me.

"I think you found your Imprint," he said, handing the thing at me. I shook it out. It was a grungy, plain, old baseball cap. The cap Kris was wearing.

I stared at it. And stared.

Would it sound really dorky if I said it was like Cinderella? And that this cap will lead me directly to her?


Kris

How darethat imbicile try to save me? I was doing fine on my own!

As i fumed, I couldn't help but replay my encounter with him. He was gorgeous, of course. Then again, a lot of the natives here were pretty good lookin'. And boy, this dude was tall! I imagined how I looked compared to him. My odds in getting out of a fight with him were slim.

And then his eyes... The way he looked at me made me shiver. It wasn't the cold, lust-filled eyes of the first five men I'd encountered before he and his gang showed up. He looked surprised, and genuinely worried. I could get lost in those dark brown eyes...

Stop it! I refuse to think about him! I'm not weak! He had no right to get in my way!

But still...

Nope! Nada! No way! I'm not thinking about him!

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. Only just now did I realize my cap was missing. Great. And that was my favorite one, too!

I muttered to myself and trudged through the forest. Stupid muggers. Stupid boy. Stupid cap. Razza frazza...

I heard a twig snap and froze. I stood up straight. I didn't move. Using my peripheral vision, I located where the sound was coming from. I saw something furry and brown cowering from behind a bush. But that was only a bit of the creature. I didn't know how big it was. For all I know, it could be bigger than me.

I heard the creature breathe out. It was loud, and I could tell it breathed out through its nose. Crap, it was a bear!

I stayed still for three more seconds, and then I took off. I didn't even pause to rest. I ran all the way back home.

I turned the lock and pressed my back to the door. I'd imagine I looked pretty funny, what with my being out of breath and frightened expression. My sister definately got a kick out of it.

She was just standing in the doorway, with her shoes in her hands and her hair pulled up into her jogging ponytail.

"OhmyGod, Kristen!" she laughed. "What happened to you?"

"I ran into a bear, Clara, shut up," I growled. Clara became serious all of a sudden.

"A bear? Are you okay? It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"Yes, a bear. Yes, I'm okay. No, it only scared me. Are we done yet?" I asked in a bored voice. "Because I want to go to bed right now."

"Go on ahead, Kristen," Clara whispered, waving me forward. I stomped up the stairs and flopped onto my bed.

God, what a day.

AN: Clara's definately different! Thanks to all of you who choose to review! I love y'all!