Party
Charlie parked the cruiser next to Emily's house, he'd insisted on driving me to Emily's after he'd dropped Renée and Phil of at the airport. The sun was already setting, it was getting dark and the sky was beautifully colored. A slight breeze kept the temperature cool, and it was a perfect night, almost magical.
"Thanks for the ride dad." I started to get out of the car. "I won't stay out late, I promise."
"Bella…" He called and I turned and leaned in though the open car door. "It's your graduation night, if you don't stay out late, your grounded." He chuckled.
"Fine, then don't wait up, I won't be home 'til late." I joked as I closed the car door.
I walked up to the house and just as I was about to walk in, someone caught me and spun me towards the back of the porch. I gasped, but then I heard Jacob's laughter and I sighed in relief. He sat me down, looked into my eyes, and took my face in his big warm hands, suddenly serious. He stroked my cheek with his thumb as he whispered, "I just love you so much." There was a slight desperation to his voice.
"I love you too, Jacob." I said sincerely, I placed my hands on his chest and felt the warmth radiating from his body. I wondered were the sudden declaration of love was coming from but I decided to just enjoy the moment. I breathed in the smell of summer evening, and wondered if this was what I was in for this summer, nights like this one. I certainly hoped so at least, I could stand like this forever.
"Why are you guys standing out here? The party's inside." Quil interrupted.
"Then maybe you should go inside?" Jacob answered. He looked at Quil with annoyance, but I just smiled and led Jacob into the house. Quil followed, snickering at Jacob's expression.
There really was a party inside, there was music playing at full volume from a small stereo in the corner of the kitchen, and on the table stood various bottles, with various contents.
"What's this?" I asked Jacob in surprise.
"I guess the guys wanted to throw you a real party." Jacob said, looking around the room smiling.
"Where are Sam and Emily?" I asked. It was hard for me picturing the two of them here, since they were getting married and having a baby. This scene seemed too juvenile for the two of them.
"They decided to lend us the house." Jacob smiled.
I wanted to ask him why but at that moment Angela fell into my arms. "Hello, Bella." She slurred, "You're a great friend, you now that?"
"Have you been drinking Angela?" I asked bewildered.
"Just a little, tiny, bit." She said holding her fingers up showing me. I laughed, it was fun to see her so mellow and relaxed. Then Ben showed up in the doorway.
"Ben!" She shouted and let me go to throw herself into his arms, he laughed as he caught her.
"Maybe we should go and sit down on the couch." He suggested, and started leading her to the living room.
"That's something you don't see every day." Jacob chuckled as Ben helped Angela to the couch.
"Certainly not." I agreed. I was still a little shocked.
"Here you go." Embry said, as he put drinks in or hands.
"What is it?" I asked suspicious.
"Just drink it, it's good." He prodded.
I tasted it, it was a bit too sweet and had a very strong taste but it wasn't half bad. I took a real sip. Jacob was drinking like it was nothing, and I wondered if he'd ever drank before. My thoughts were interrupted by Jessica stepping through the door.
"Now this is what I call a party." She announced. "Hello, Bella. What are you drinking and where can I get one." She smiled as she gave me a quick hug, then she went over to the table and Embry supplied her with a drink.
The party went on until all hours, everyone was letting loose and having fun. My glass was frequently filled up, and after a while it was a little hard to walk straight. I went to sit down to make sure I wouldn't fall off the floor. I sat there watching my friends laugh, dance, and talk. I saw Jacob talking with Paul, and Quil, they were laughing. The room spun a bit and I decided to go out and get some air.
I felt better after breathing in the fresh air, and I started to walk down a path through the woods. I was feeling a bit out there and I got quite far before I realized I'd been walking for a long time. I wondered if the others had noticed that I had wandered of, and decided to turn around and head back.
I turned and froze on the graveled road. There she was, her hair glowing in the dark, a slight smile on her lips. She was dressed in black and it was hard to see her in the dark. If it wasn't for her hair and the moonlight I probably wouldn't have seen her.
"Hello Isabella." Her voice was strangely girly compared to her wild look.
"Victoria," I whispered. So here's where it ends, I thought. Drunk in the woods, murdered by a vampire. For a moment I wondered if she would taste the alcohol in my bloodstream, that got me laughing, and soon I was laughing out loud.
"What's so funny?" Victoria said agitated. I'm sure this wasn't how she'd thought I'd react when she finally got to me.
"Nothing." Is said stifling back laughter. It was probably not a good idea to enrage the person who was planning on killing you slowly and painfully, but my mood was crazy and this didn't even feel real.
"You know I'm going to kill you don't you?" she asked making her voice menacing.
"I kind of figured that, yeah." I was strangely relaxed considering the circumstances. I waited for the fear but there was none. Maybe it was better this way anyhow, Victoria would get her revenge and she would leave Jacob and the pack alone. No one had to get hurt, apart from me of course.
Victoria took a step towards me inhaling, I could see the hunger in her blood red eyes. It was then the fear kicked in and my legs ached to run away, but I knew it would do me no good to run.
"You smell incredibly good." She said and then she launched.
I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to come, but there was no pain. Instead I heard clothes ripping and I high growling. I opened my eyes to see Jacob fighting Victoria. What had he been doing here, and where were the others?
The fight was intense, they were moving so fast I could barely make out what happened. But it sounded like Jacob was losing and I knew he wouldn't be able to win this on his own, and unfortunately the loser in this fight wouldn't walk away.
I hated leaving Jacob alone with her but I couldn't help him by myself and I needed to find the others, I just hoped with all my soul I would be in time to save him.
"PAUL!" I screamed as I ran back to the house. I fell often but I just got up and kept going. I had to get Jacob help. "Quil!" I yelled again desperate, but there was no answer. Finally I saw the house. Paul and the rest, were walking out the door looking towards where my screams where coming from.
"You have to help him!" I shouted, out of breath. "She's killing him, you have to help him!"
Paul ran up to me, "What are you talking about Bella? Who's killing who?"
"Victoria, she's here. And Jacob can't fight her alone, you have to hurry." I wondered if it was already too late.
The wolves headed of sprinting into the woods at full speed. I saw them go and I sank down on the wet grass, please let them get there in time, I thought. I couldn't bear losing Jacob, he was everything to me now. If I lost him it would be the end of me, I would fall apart and no one would be able to put me back together again.
I sat there listening, all I heard was the silence from the woods, and it was so loud. I wondered if Angela, Ben, Mike, and Jessica were still in the house or if they'd gone home, but I really didn't care. All I cared about now was that all the wolves get home safely, and that Jacob gets home alive.
It was all my fault, I should have insisted that someone be on guard duty during the party. I should have let Victoria scare me into not enjoying my graduation. I should have stayed home with my guard dogs outside in the woods.
What had I been thinking when I insisted on the wolves being at the party, there was a reason Jacob and the others hadn't caught her before, she was fast, strong and deadly. And now she was fighting with Jacob, or was that fight already over, had the others been too late. I couldn't stand it anymore, I had to be there now, to help or to just do something. I couldn't sit here while he was out there.
With that thought I stood up, stronger and steadier now, and started walking through the woods. I walked a long time speeding up and wondering if this was the right way, I couldn't remember walking this far, and the woods were still dead quiet. Dead, I thought, and walked even faster, almost running now.
The trees were tall above my head and there were no animals scurrying around, no birds singing in the treetops. The forest was truly dead quiet.
Before I could panic too much I saw a big animal up ahead on the trail, the shape of a wolf with the height of a bear. I started sprinting, I ran up to the place where I'd seen the wolf and the scene that was waiting for me was very different than I had expected.
Victoria was lying in a... pile in the grass and Embry was lighting a match to set the body on fire. The other wolves were all in there cutoff jeans standing in a circle with somber expressions, around a still figure in the grass. The scene seemed wrong, Victoria was dead, they should be celebrating. I searched the faces looking for Jacob, but he wasn't there, my mind was working in slow motion. Paul looked up from ground, his eyes were sad and he looked apologetically at me. "Bella, I'm so sorry…" he trailed of. He stepped aside and my eyes flew to the figure on the ground.
It was a nightmare come true, Jacob's still figure in the grass, it felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest and punched me in the stomach all at once.
I ran over to him, and sat beside him tears running down my cheeks. I took his hand in mine, it was warm. I can't lose him, I thought, it won't happen, it can't happen.
"Come back to me Jake." I said and kissed his forehead, and then his soft lips. I put my ear against his chest, and I couldn't hear anything.
The wolves were in shock just like me, and as the smoke rolled higher in the air they just stood there staring at me and Jacob not knowing whether to move or to stand still.
The forest was quiet and I couldn't hear anything, but then there was a sound of a heart struggling to beat. I froze and listened harder. The beating got stronger and faster, I sat up taking Jacob's face in my hands. "That's right baby, come back to me." I kissed him again. "Please come back to me Jake." The wolves were on alert now and they all gathered around me and Jacob.
And then he opened his beautiful brown eyes and looked at me, he smiled and said. "Hi angel" then he looked straight up eyes wide and started to scream.
