Choice
Chapter 8

Sarah:

I rule the nest. Nobody can steal it away from me. I'm the badest and meanest of them all. If anyone gets in my way, they will pay the ultimate price! Usually a tickle fest until they cry uncle, or a headlock until they surrender their ice cream. I know what your thinking, I thought she was bad to the bone? Yeah, well, wrestling your cousin until he gives you the remote is as bad as I get. If I even try to do my worst, like curse or sneak out on a school night then the one person to fear would be my mom. She doesn't play. It's mostly because she's old school, but don't tell her I said that. My dad is more relaxed. All I have to do is bash my eyelashes and add the d.y. on to the d.a.d. and b.a.m. I have a new car. And sure the car was taken away when I tried to give a friend of mine a ride home that happened to be a guy. Yeah, dad refused to let me date until I was at least 100. Sad thing is, he really means it. Anywho, the point is my family is crazy, and here's the thing, they're all vampires. Now you understand the whole 100 years thing. But that's not all. The other side of my family including myself are all shape shifters. What do we shape shift into? Wolves. Yup, big, hairy, hug canine teeth wolves. Okay, I see your confused, how are my parents vampires if I'm a wolf. The thing is, my real parents who were wolves died when I was just a baby, My mom (the vampire one) was real close friends with her and took me in. Though I live mostly with my adoptive family, my uncle who is also a wolf married into them and so I see him on a regular basis too. His kids are the ones that constantly bug me and who I have to show that I rule the couch. Again, I rule this house. At least when mom isn't home...

"Sarah, are you ready?" Rose called from downstairs.

"Yeah, coming." Sarah walked out of her room and down the hall. The large mansion was fit for a small army. Instead a small family of three lived under its roof and only 1 of them actually slept at night. The other rooms were available for family when they came to visit, which was often. Very often.

Rose smiled when she saw Sarah grace the top steps. She was wearing a Chanel empire waist black dress that just covered the knees, and tear drop pearl earrings designed by Harry Winston himself. Sarah's dark black hair was cascading down her back in soft ringlets and the bangs pulled back by clips, again designed by H.W.

"You look just like her." Rose said when Sarah made it to the bottom step.

"You think so?" Sarah asked, not sure if she really resembles the beautiful picture of her mother that she kept in a locket hanging around her wrist.

"Um excuse me beautiful lady, but could you run upstairs and grab my daughter." Emmit said with a crooked grin.

"Funny dad."

Emmit pretended to look shocked that it was actually her which made the women laugh harder. He then took out their coats and walked over to the couch and grabbed a blanket.

"What's that for?" Rose asked.

Emmit looked at her like it was obvious. "To cover Sarah with. I don't want anyone seeing how pretty she is."

They argued for a couple of minutes, both completely serious about the situation. In the end Rose won out and threatened Emmit if he tried to cover her, she'd withhold something very promising for months if not years. Emmit thought it over and finally relented to just standing in front of Sarah on their way out the door. Sarah shook her head, she loved her parents, but they could seriously be overprotective at times. They drove over to La Push, stopping at the border. Sarah was the only one dressed up, because she was the only one allowed to cross over into the territory. Her parents were only welcomed when it was a celebration for her, but there was still hard feelings between her vampire family and her wolf one. When her maternal grandmother died, Sarah refused to go if Rose wasn't allowed. She needed her to be there, she needed the support. Especially as they stood only a few feet away from where her parent's bodies lay. That was one of the few times they voided the treaty and allowed a cold one as her Uncle Sam put it, on their land.

Sarah got out of the car and saw her Uncle Sam and Grandpa Billy up ahead. She ran to them and hugged her grandfather before turning to her uncle and doing the same. They smiled and asked how she was doing and like always demanded if the leeches were treating her well. She scowled at her uncle when he used the word and after he apologized she answered him. Her Uncle Sam could never deny her anything. Aunt Emily always said that when he looked at her, he would see Leah because she looks just like her and that Sam cared for her mother very, very much. Sarah always thought Emily looked sad when she would say that.

She got in the truck and talked excitedly about the party. Both men sat up front listening and believing for a second it was Leah speaking to them.

When she arrived to Billy's house, she ran in and greeted the rest of her family with warm hugs and harmless teasing. She was overdressed for the occasion, everyone else in jeans and a t-shirt. But Aunt Alice had picked out her outfit and she refused to change into anything else. Pictures decorating the hallway showed her parents and her as a baby, then some of her father when he was younger, and of his mom, her grandmother who she never got to meet and who she'd been named after. She smiled fondly and likes to pretend that she remembers those happy times. Instead she has to be reminded by family and friends. Aunt Nessie reminds her best. All her aunt has to do is touch her hand and she can immediately see herself, almost like home movies, except they played in her head.

"Hey little one." A voice from behind her said.

Sarah turned and saw Embry leaning against the hallways doorframe taking up much of the space. She smiled and ran to him. He caught her in his large arms and hugged her back tightly.

"I'm 18 Em, your gonna have to stop calling me little one."

"Yeah well, you'll always be smaller than me." He said and kissed the top of her head lightly.

She laughed up at him, "Everyone is smaller than you, ya big oaf."

"Sawah!" Cried a little girl in a pink dress clutching a blond Barbie in her hand.

"Sammy!" Sarah answered her as she walked out of Embry's arms and picked up Sam and Emily's little girl. They're only child, they had tried for years to have one. Finally 4 years ago Emily got pregnant. She was placed on bed rest for most of the pregnancy and still Sammy had come 2 months early, which explains as to why she has leg and back problems at 4 years old. But she was their little miracle and they wouldn't change anything about her. Leg braces and all.

"I mish you Sawah." Sammy said and leaned her head down on Sarah's shoulder in contentment.

Finally everyone began making their way out the door and down the steps towards the bon fire. Tonight is her first time when she will hear the telling of the La Push Wolf legacy. She knew the story by heart thanks to her Uncle Seth, but tonight she will hear it from her grandfather's own words, just like her mother and father before her. That mattered more to her than anyone would know.

Settling Sammy down in her aunt Emily's arms, she quickly made her way over to Embry and sat next to him. If she was honest, she had a small crush on him. But did her best to conceal it behind sarcasm and friendly insults. The man would be the same age as her father if he was alive, but he didn't look a day over 21. With wide shoulders and toned biceps, he resembled an Abercrombie and Fitch model. But when they went swimming and his shirt came off, she realized she could do laundry on his hard stomach if she wanted to, and also concluded he was way hotter than any model. She was dying for him to notice her as more than 'little one'. Guess it was hard since she was so much smaller than him. She was tall at 5'10'', but Embry was taller at 6'4''. She'd have to admit it was hard to come by someone taller than her, so it was nice to look up.

"Listen carefully. Okay?" Embry murmured down to her when she relaxed her head on his arm.

"Trust me, I'm not going to miss a word."

Billy began the story of Tahi Aki and how shape shifters came to be. Everyone listened intently, those who have heard the story a hundred times and those hearing it for the first. It seemed as if her grandfather's voice was hypnotizing and you had no choice but to listen intently. Sarah was drawn into the story and cried when the wife sacrificed herself for the goodness of her husband and their people. Billy then turns the tale and relates the story of sacrifice to that of her biological parents. He explains how her mother managed to get her away to safety before going back to fight by her husbands side.

"Sacrificing one's self for another" Billy says, "Is the ultimate power of good that evil will never understand."

It was the end of the story and not to be told again until next year. It was all her uncle and aunt said it was and more. When Aunt Bella told her about it, she told her of how she listened while sitting next to Jacob and across from Leah, who were also hearing it for the first time. She wondered if they had the same look of awe on their faces too.

Sarah moved to the other side of Embry and sat next to Billy's wheelchair. "Grandpa, What were my parents like when they first phased?'

Her grandfather, Sam who sat on the other side of him, Jared who sat next to Sam, and Embry all burst out laughing at her question. She laughed lightly with them and then shook her head. "What's so funny?"

"Your mother was furious. She was the only female shifter of our kind and she hated it." Jared said, still barely breathing.

"Well what's funny about that?"

"We didn't make it any easier. One time your brother and I found a...certain type of magazine... and when she shifted she saw us thinking about the pictures we saw...Oh god that was great." Embry laughed.

"No, the best time was when we tricked Jacob into racing us after he just phased. When we neared the diving cliff, we slowed down. It was great, he was thinking he was faster than us and right at the moment he realized the cliff was there, he was already over and off. It was like those cartoons that show the person hanging in mid-air and in surprise that there is no more ground beneath their feet." Jared said and started laughing all over again.

"He was faster than us." Embry said.

"Not faster than Leah." Sam corrected.

Jared nodded, "True, your mom was the fastest wolf I've ever come across. Nobody could beat her, not even your dad."

"Lord knows he tried. Boy would come back from patrol tuckered out from racing her." Billy chuckled.

Embry waved away the comment, "Nah, he just used it as an excuse to be with her."

"You would know." Jared murmured.

Sarah looked over at Embry as his cheeks turned bright red. Why was he blushing all of a sudden?

"Why would Embry know?" She asked.

Billy touched her arm so she would turn towards him and give Embry the much-needed respite. "Later tonight you will understand."

She hated the cryptic message. Why be so secretive about her future and the goings on of pack business. She was the future Alpha of the pack, shouldn't she begin to be clued in on things here? Everyone looked at her, except Embry. He continued to avert his eyes and pay complete attention to his hands and the ground. She stood, smiled and brushed her dress off from any dirt. They didn't want to elaborate, than she'll go find someone else to explain it to her. There were plenty of people in her family that loved to talk. All she had to do was grab a hamburger and her Uncle Paul.

~Only 1 more chapter remaining! Thanks for all the reviews! I know some of you are unhappy with me, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. Anywho Review!

~Smo