I get back home and nap, shower, and just enjoy the luxuries of civilization. The next day I decide never to go outside again. However, almost immediately I also make up my mind to confront Jacob. I know I just made that decision to never go outside again, but this is an exception.
I drive out to La Push, and low and behold, find Sam Uley's supermodel gang of unnaturally sexy boys. Jacob's with them. There's no way in hell this kid is only a sophomore. He's enormous and covered in a thick layer of muscles that wrap around his legs and up to his arms and shoulders. That's just not natural.
"Hey, wolf boys!" I yell. Actually, that's a good name for a band. Wolf boyz. Mental note taken. Anyway, "Thanks for completely abandoning me in the woods yesterday. It took me over four hours to get home."
"We weren't in the woods yesterday." Jacob and co say, playing dumb.
"I'm not a complete idiot Jacob. You and your boy band are werewolves. Been there, done that. I want to know why you left me in the woods and are suddenly cold and distant!" I say.
"You know about werewolves?!" Jacob exclaims. It seems they're all dumbfounded. Even Sam.
"It's not that hard to figure out. In teen novels, when there are vampires it's only a matter of time before werewolves show up." I shiver, remembering The Mortal Instruments.
"She knows too much," One of the gang members says. I think his name is Paul. "We should kill the leech lover."
"That is offensive and racist," I say. "And I was about to tell you a little secret about another vampire that might be threatening this stupid town and all the unfortunate losers stuck in it. But nevermind about that."
Never one to miss a dramatic opportunity, I turn with a hair flip and start to strut away. One, two...And they're calling me back. I pause for a moment (for dramatic effect of course), and then turn back.
"Yes?" I say. The boys huddle together and whisper for a few moments. When they disperse, Sam is that the head.
"You know too much about our pack," He says, and for a second I'm a little worried. What if I just got myself killed? "But you also know valuable information regarding the vampires."
"You're like a spy!" Jacob pipes in.
"For this reason, we will allow you to live and help us protect this town." Sam announces.
"No apology for yesterday? Just 'allowing me to live'." I say, forgetting the fact that they could kill me any second. "And for the record, you guys are doing a pretty shitty job of protecting the town. I mean one vampire got in, and another one's coming! And I don't see you doing anything about it except for harassing me."
"You have really horrible taste in women, Jacob." Paul says. Jacob blushes.
"Exxccuuuuse me?" I ask. "Taste in women? So women are just fine wines to be judged against each other and tasted whenever you feel like it? How dare you judge me! And another thing, just because Jacob has a female companion does NOT mean that I'm automatically his girlfriend. Believe it or not, women are capable of being more than romantic companions."
Paul gives Jacob another look. From their faces, I could swear they were reading each other's minds. Also weirdly enough, when Sam gives them a stern look Jacob and Paul stop glaring at each other.
"Am I missing something here? Is there some kind of wolf eye morse code I don't know about?" I ask.
"We can communicate to each other in our minds. It allows us stay in contact when we morph." Sam explains.
"Vampires, werewolves, mindreading...and no one has ever suspected anything weird in this town." I say.
"Bella, we've decided to listen to your information." Sam begins. Paul cuts him off.
"But you need to do something to prove yourself." Paul says. A worry line forms on Jacob's forehead.
"Fine. What stupid frat house initiation do you want me to do?"
Several minutes later we're standing at the top of a cliff. I glance down at the choppy water which seems to be miles below but in actuality is only a few hundred feet. The spray from the crashing waves against the side of the cliff wafts upwards and settles as a thin layer of salt on my lips. My tongue moistens my now dried lips.
"This doesn't seem too bad." I say. I'm not lying though. After getting thrown out of windows, and in many cases jumping out on my own accord, I'm not afraid of heights. It also helps when you have wings.
"Bella you don't have to do this." Jacob says simultaneously with the voice of Edward who just chimes into the conversation. I ignore them both and tie my hair back. I motion for the boys to move out of the way. Paul looks eager for me to take the plunge (there's a good chance he's betting Sam that I'll chicken out). I take a few steps back towards the forest, giving myself some takeoff room.
"What're you doing?" Paul asks.
Ignoring him, I rush forward. All of a sudden, fear grasps me. The cat senses seize me with a sudden loathing for water. My mind yells to stop running, but my feet have already taken off and are no longer listening. The wind blows in my face and snatches my breath before I even leave the ground. When the edge approaches, my knees gather energy and kick off. As my toes lose the safety of the ground I yell out "CannonbbaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAllll!"
Edward's faint yelling is blocked out by the rush of adrenaline mixed with the roars of the waves. The next second, all the noise is stopped. The water swallows me into its quiet underbelly. I'm reminded of Percy, which I suppose makes sense because he is the son of the sea. Strangely though, this water has the same accepting friendliness of Percy. This silent murky stillness is a sanctuary from the chaos of above. When I start to float back towards the surface, I feel guilty for leaving.
I pop my head up. My hands rub the salt from my eyes that now sting slightly. The pack waves down at me from up on the cliff. I wave back. Wow. They look really excited. They must be so proud of me.
That's when the first wave smacks me in the back of the head. My mouth opens, about to curse, but instead chokes upon water. I tumble in circles, the waves thrashing me about. Imagine being in a washing machine and you've got a pretty good idea how I feel. One wave pushes me down again. For a moment, I'm in a limbo between the war of above and the peace of below. I can't enjoy it though because a mirage of Edward is there.
Go away. I think angrily. He just reaches out to me. I struggle away.
"Keep swimming!" He yells at me. What the hell do you think I'm doing?
"Fight! Keep fighting!" He yells again. I roll my eyes and turn myself around. I'd rather face the waves again than deal with Edward. My lungs are certainly thankful when I reach the surface. This time I identify where the waves are, and use them to steer me towards the beach. My arms and legs are in a screaming competition to see who's in more pain. I tell them both to shut it and just make it to the beach. Then something grabs me.
My head is pulled under and once more I get a mouthful of salt water. Then I'm pulled back up. Jacob pants as he swims towards the beach with one hand, and pulls me along with the other. I sputter, trying to form coherent words to say I can swim, but all the water clogging my mouth and nose is making that impossible. Soon enough, we've reached the beach.
The sand scratches at my legs as Jacob pulls me ashore. I wave, trying to explain that I'm fine. He doesn't quite get it. He drops me on my back and starts doing chest compressions. The little air I had left is pushed out with a wheeze.
"Breathe, Bella. Come on." He stops. Great. Then he starts doing mouth to mouth. Great. I push him off, and immediately turn and puke onto the sand.
"Sorry about that." I say in between coughs. "I swallowed a lot of salt water."
"Bella! Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?" Jacob asks.
"Just my chest." I say, rubbing the spot where Jacob crushed my ribs. The rest of the pack comes running down to the beach.
"Is she alright?" Sam asks.
"Yep. I'm fine. Just watch where you step." I joke.
"Jacob, your girlfriend is insane." Paul says.
"You were the ones who dared me to jump off that stupid cliff!" I say angrily. Jacob pulls on my arm.
"Come on, Bella." He says. "Let's get you home."
I frown, but follow him to his car. I grumble all the way back to Bella's house. When we arrive, there's an unfamiliar car in the driveway.
"What are the chances my birthday came early this year?" I say. Jacob doesn't laugh.
"Okay, that might not have been one of my finer jokes but you could at least pretend to laugh." I say. He shakes his head.
"Vampires." He says dramatically. I purse my lips.
"Welp, it was only a matter of time before my peaceful solitude was shattered." I say while getting out of the car. Jacob doesn't follow.
"Ya coming?" I ask. He shakes his head dramatically, says some gibberish about a treaty, wishes me the best of luck with not dying, and then drives off.
"...My knight in shining armor." I mumble and head towards the house.
"Helllloooo?" I sing through the house.
There's no answer. I turn towards the hallway. The faint light from one of the windows leaks in, and a long shadow falls across the rug. A menacing silhouette seems to wait for me at the end of the shadow. I freeze as the figure dramatically turns around. When she spots me, her face contorts into a look of confusion.
"Bella?" Alice asks.
"Yep." I say. "Although I don't know why you're so confused to find me in my house."
She doesn't laugh. I'm unappreciated in my time.
"Is something...wrong?" I ask, wondering why there is a sharp chill coming off her in my direction.
"I saw you jump." She says. The pieces fall into place. I laugh a little.
"Oh that!" I say. "Yeah, those crazy werewolves made me do some silly initiation thing. Don't worry though, I showed them how to do a proper cannonball."
"Bella, I-" Alice stumbled over her words. "I thought you were trying to...kill yourself."
"Did you not hear me yell cannonball?" I ask and cock an eyebrow. She shakes her head.
"Oh my…" Alice trails off. Her hands claw at her head and she stares intensely at the floor. I don't know how to react. Is she just really upset at her mistake or is our rug really that ugly?
"I've just had a vision!" She says, and looks up at me desperately. "Edward thinks you've killed yourself, and now he's going to Italy."
"Good for him?" I say. Alice shakes her head.
"He's not going on vacation. He's going to Italy so the Volturi can kill him."
"Whoa." I say, shocked. "That's a little melodramatic. (Also, what's a Volturi? Is that a pasta?)"
"Bella," Alice says, shaking me violently. "You need to show Edward you're alive. It's the only way to save him."
"Alright, just please stop shaking me. I've already lost my breakfast." I say.
Alice grabs my hand and nearly drags me to her car. I'll just suffer through it. I don't particularly like Edward, but I can't just let him kill himself. Plus, I'm hoping that after that I'll be able to leave this book.
"So, who are the Volturi again?" I ask.
"Didn't Edward tell you?" She asks. "They're an extremely powerful vampire clan that resides in Italy. They make sure all the other vampires stay in line."
"If we're going up against the vampire Mafia maybe we should get a werewolf to help us." I suggest. Alice slams the brakes and the car skids to a stop. If I hadn't already lost all the contents of my stomach, I would have then.
"A werewolf?" She asks. "Bella, have you gone insane?"
"I've been getting that a lot, but don't you think it makes more sense?" I ask. She glares at the steering wheel.
"I'm not working with a werewolf." She hisses. I put my hands up defensively.
"Sorry, it was just an idea." I say. "I just thought it might help us save Edward."
That seems to strike a chord with her. She vents her anger out on the steering wheel for another minute or two and then abruptly turns the car around. I call Jacob up on the phone and tell him to meet me at my house, that it's urgent, and that he needs to bring the rest of the werewolf pack. I figure being mysterious can only help; it gets people's attention.
When we return to my house, I tell Alice to wait in the car. She nods, but her fingernails dig into the steering wheel and her nose curls up. I race inside, and sure enough, Jacob's there with the wolf pack.
"Bella, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Jacob asks worriedly.
"I smell a vampire," Sam announces. The rest of the pack tenses. Their eyes scan the plain living room as if the vampire was somehow hiding behind the coat rack. Jacob looks to me for an explanation.
"Now before you get all excited," I say, "there is a vampire with me. But Alice is not one of your chew toys, so don't you dare touch her. However, she's beside the point. The reason I called you here is because Alice and I need to go to Italy and slay some ancient vampire mafia, and I figured you guys are, ya know, vampire killing experts and would kill for a chance to take some out."
"You want us to go to Italy?" Jacob exclaims. "And work with a vampire?"
"Yes," I say. "And along the way you get to kill vampires. And not just any vampires. These guys are the head honchoes. You'll be cutting the head off the serpent. This pack will go down in werewolf history. Each of you will be a legend."
I pause to let my words sink in. The pack fidgets, clearing considering my words. I've almost got 'em. Sam's eyes are still calculating so I brace myself.
"Why do you want to travel all the way to Italy to kill a vampire nest?" he asks. I should have seen this question coming, and now I struggle to find a suitable answer. My shoulder's slump as I realize I have no decent lies to tell.
"Edward is in trouble. And I need help to save him," I say, hating the faltering in my voice.
"You want us to risk our lives for a vampire?" Paul yells. His words don't bother me though. It's the heartbreak etched into Jacob's face that guilt trips me.
"I'm sorry, Bella," Sam says. "But we can't do that."
"Please," I beg, "he's going to die."
"And if you go, you'll die too," Jacob said. He reaches out to me. "Please don't go. Think what your death would do to Charlie – to me."
"That's an if," I say. "What's definite is that if you all just sit here then you're letting those vampires kill, not only Edward, but also all the innocent human beings they're feeding on because you were afraid to stop them. Well, I'm afraid too, but I'm still going."
I anticipate their anger at my statements, which to be fair, I meant to be incendiary. However, they don't yell at me for calling them cowards. My eyebrows scrunch as I try to comprehend what looks like shame on their faces. I turn towards the door.
"I'll be going alone then," I say, barely hiding the shock in my voice.
"Bella, please" Jacob called out.
"Don't worry," I say. "This won't be the first time I've faced vampires…"
But as I leave, I remember that in Mortal Instruments I'd had the luck of those vampires being distracted by werewolves. I pout and head back to the car. Perhaps I was just pushing them too far from the set plotline, too far from their norm. It was a doomed mission from the start. In the car, Alice hides her pleasant surprise at seeing no werewolves under a pretense of confusion.
"Where are the dogs?" She asks. I shake my head, and motion for her to turn the engine on.
"Not coming," I say.
"Look on the bright side," Alice said, trying to lighten the mood, "at least my car won't smell like dog for months."
"Honestly, I'll probably end up smelling like dog for months," I say, and crack a smile.
"We have extra tickets now, because I was expecting them to come," Alice says as she pulls out of the driveway.
"We'll have lots of leg room," I point out.
As we reach the edge of Forks, I can't stop myself from taking one look back. Against my better judgement, there's a part of me that expects to see Jacob's pack racing to stop our car. Then it hits me. I'm in a young adult novel. These things happen all the time, right? Maybe I need to work through the system to get what I want. If that means being overly dramatic and illogical, then I can make that sacrifice.
I whip my head towards the window. A lock of my hair falls over my eye as I stare longingly at the road. I make sure to take deep belabored breaths and squint my eyes slightly. Still no one comes down the road. Gritting my teeth, I force myself to keep trying. I tug at my hair and do that thing when you glance down dejectedly then slowly look back up. Nothing.
"Do you have something in your eye?" Alice asks. My shoulders droop.
"No," I say. Just as my hair falls back into its normal position, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. My mouth drops as a giant wolf emerges from the forest.
"It worked!" I cry.
"That's a big dog," Alice says nervously. She skids to a stop, and the wolf circles the car until morphing back to human form. Jacob steps forward and knocks on the window.
"I decided you were right," he says. "It's time to step out of my boundaries and do something really important. None of the others agreed though…"
"Who cares?! You're just in time!" I say excitedly. "Pile in!"
He squeezes into the back of Alice's tiny car. It occurs to me that he's shirtless from being a wolf.
"What are going to do about your lack of a shirt?" I ask.
"Nothing," Alice says. I raise an eyebrow. "Don't worry, we're going to Italy. No one will care."