Aaaand, I have a something here... Not sure what. This is just sort of ... a guilty pleasure, if you will :) Dunno where it's going exactly, but I'm told that's half the fun.
Please do enjoy...
The house smelled strange. Not strange as in toxic from mold or that dusty smell, because that would mean that there was something, and if something was there at all, it would at least feel more normal...The strangeness that permeated the house was a distinct lack of scent. The kitchen lacked any traces of food being cooked or otherwise, the bathroom did not smell like perfumes or hair spray, the family room didn't smell of worn fabrics, and the bed rooms lacked any individual scent, whether it be candles or incense or simple body order. The house was as barren as tombs. That's what was strange about it, Joanna decided as she lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling.
She'd finally managed to get all of the boxes moved off of that U-Haul truck and in here. She had happily returned it and paid the balance owed. After returning 'home' and locking up, she'd damn-near collapsed in a heap on the floor from the exhaustion of it all. She could feel every article of clothing on her was soaked in sweat, something she had failed to notice as she had been moving about during the day. And as she lay on the floor, panting slightly, she couldn't help but notice the stale air in the house. She took in a great breath and held it for a moment before letting it all out in a dramatic 'whoosh!'. Laying about like this wasn't going to help her get unpacked any more than staring at the truck would've helped her to unload it all. She was truly proud of herself as she'd managed to unload her possessions in under eight hours, and she hadn't even had to call Uncle J's office for help. That certainly should be an accomplishment.
Craning her arms above her head she let out a 'hyah!' as she swung her arms up, using the momentum to pull herself into a sitting position. With another 'hyah!' she folded a leg under her, another 'hyah!' saw a foot planted on the ground and a final 'hyah!' saw her standing in a crouched position. There was a slow straightening out period accompanied by an almost elderly sounding groan. Her lower back was throbbing.
'Just a bit longer.' she reminded herself - a familiar mantra she'd repeated throughout the day - before staggering off to the kitchen. She had unpacked the 'perishables' first, after she had made sure the fridge was plugged in. She'd also made sure that her microwave was unpacked (thank God). She opened the fridge door and leaned against the top freezer to inspect its contents. So... she had sandwich stuffs, left-overs, something Momma had fixed 'for later' (and probably best to save for when the work was all done), milk and water. Nothing was really thrilling her though. Still, the cool fridge felt nice. Then her eyes fell on some of the boxes in the kitchen. She casually grabbed a cooled bottle of water before closing he fridge door and sauntering over to one of the boxes. The box was adorned with smiley faces and said in silly script 'for hard times!'.
"Ha!" She cried, giggling gleefully as she opened the box and found several dozen cans of Chef Boyardee. "Sketti and meatballs for me!" she cheered triumphantly, happily mispronouncing 'spaghetti' as she always had. Another properly labeled box produced bowls and plates. After rinsing a bowl off (just in case dust had managed to settle) she was all set for a meal...until she remembered utensils. While the meal was heating, she hunted up her silverware.
She let herself fall onto the stiff sofa with an 'ooffa' before laying into eat her meal. She slurped and munched happily, staring about at the beige walls. She was going to have to repaint every room in the house...eventually. There were more chief concerns, of course, but she really had to do something about this starkness. Thus far, all the walls were this pale beige...neutral, yes, but not her at all. She wasn't complaining in the least! This house was owned by her extended family, and she was very lucky to be getting it at all. But things would just have to change before the place really suited her. Her new house was at the end of a dead end road (literally. Her mailbox was right next to the Dead End sign and her 'drive way' just beside that), but she was still just off the main drag (if you could call it that) and a 10 minute walk away from the beach. Really, how much more could she ask for?
After finishing off her bowl of spaghetti and meatballs (very nearly licking the bowl too) and guzzling down the entire bottle of water, she debated her next move. There really were only two options. Stay here and sort through things, or go on down to the beach. She sighed, looking about at all the boxes.
'Not gonna unpack themselves.' She reminded. She'd work a little bit more on small things tonight. She'd done quite a bit, and she knew she'd be hurting tomorrow. So, she unpacked her dishes and silverware fully, making sure they were in their proper place. She made sure to hunt up the coffee maker too, with all it's components. That would be an absolute necessity come morning. After making sure the right boxes were at the very least in the right rooms and unpacking a few other things, she gave up and meandered into the bedroom. Stan and Cassandra had come three days ago, and she was thanking her lucky stars for that. They'd brought a sofa, a washer and dryer, but more importantly, her bed and nightstands. She quickly unpacked her clothes, placing them in the closet or (in the case of her unmentionables) the nightstands. Then she unpacked her bathroom things, followed immediately by the two or three sheet sets she owned. She quickly put some sheets on her bed before staggering into the bathroom.
After peeling off her clothes, she stepped into the shower. It wasn't big, but it was enough for her. She lingered a bit more than she probably would've otherwise, but after the day she'd had, she figured she'd earned it. When she was having a serious problem standing without added support from the wall, she finally got out and dried off. She absently patted her long copper colored hair, now dark auburn from being drenched, wondering if it'd be in fits of knots when she awoke. She managed to slip on a pair of low-rise panties and a sleeveless tank top before collapsing into bed. She looked over, perhaps in the habit of turning her bed-side lamp off, and saw a large picture propped up on the nightstand of the family in Momma's living room. She smiled fondly.
"'Night, er'body." She mumbled into her pillow before sleep claimed her.
The first thing she noticed, was the light... of course. But once she'd finally managed to pry her eyes open, she mused that the light must have been there quite a while before she was alerted to its presence. Indeed, the sun was very high, and the room was lit only by filtered rays of light. Her first effort to move ended in a very fish-like flounce accompanied by a groan.
Not. Good.
Upon a second attempt to reach the vertical plane, she managed to simply roll herself out of bed, planting her feet on the floor and leaning into an upright position. She would have considered it a small accomplishment, if agony didn't seep through every fiber of her being. After doing another realistic zombie impersonation, she finally managed to get to the kitchen and start on breakfast.
It was slow going, considering that she preferred a bigger breakfast, but at last she was sitting at her 'snack bar'. Not that she was feeling quite at 100% yet, but at the very least, she wasn't as sore as she had felt when she was simply laying in bed. Still, food always helped, or at least that was Momma's motto. So, there she sat. After slicing up her two eggs, she mixed the nearly flavorless grits into the sloppy mess. She crumbled two pieces of bacon into the grit/egg mash and began to take bites of the mixture immediately accompanied by a bite of breakfast sausage and/or buttered toast.
After finishing her breakfast and starting on her second cup off coffee, she realized that her cell phone was dying. So, she grabbed the wall charger and plugged it in. Immediately, the red battery began to flash in the corner and she sighed in relief as the words 'charging' came across the screen. She also noticed the message icon signaling a new text.
'Glad 2 know ur safe! Stan & Cassie r still around if u need something. Don't spend all day unpacking! U need 2 go 2 the beach & relax, Ducky :D XO'
She smiled at the message from Momma. The beach...yes, she would have to go to the beach eventually. But first she had to get something done. Time for play could come later. Not responding to the text would be unthinkable, even if there really wasn't much to respond with. She quickly texted back, '3 3 3' before leaving her phone to charge in peace.
With a sigh she surveyed the unpacked boxes. Really, the kitchen was almost entirely set up. A few things that weren't really necessary were still in boxes. As they weren't necessary, they could wait. Her bedroom was much the same. After unpacking her bathroom stuffs, clothes and bedding, what else was necessary? Not much. So all the was left was her work space and the living room. The living room could wait, she decided as she grabbed her coffee mug and headed into the spare bedroom. She wanted to get most of her work space set up today.
The forest floor blended into a seamless carpet, the trees the only breaking post for the light to filter through. All the scents were those that belonged... that was...good. Quil gave a tiny huff of boredom. Even a good run wasn't as satisfying as it used to be. Not one whiff of a sucker for miles, or at least nothing non-Cullen.
'Honestly, Quil. That's a good thing.' Seth reminded via pack link.
'Say what you want, Pup. I'm with Quil on this. Would be nice to get some action considering.' Embry groused.
'Yeah.' Quil seconded. 'At least when those suckers from Italy came we had a chance to shred vampire.' There was a note of aggravation from Seth's end of the connection. 'Oh, so sorry. A chance to shred bad vampire.' He felt Embry's amusement at the mix up as well.
The distinct sound of another presence in the pack bond occurred before Leah budded in. 'I miss anything?' she asked.
'Nothing but your brother's whining.' Embry informed.
'Hey!'
'Nothing new then.' she thought back.
They could almost see Seth pouting. 'I do not whine.' he demanded.
'Whatever you say.' Embry shot back.
'So, we're having a bonfire tonight.' Leah interrupted in order to stop a pointless quarrel.
'Awesome.' Quil thought, looking forward to it.
'Whatever.' was Embry's answer.
'What's your problem, Embry?' Seth asked.
'Nothing. It's just, we're always having bonfires. Haven't you noticed? I mean, can't we do something else for a change?'
'It's not like La Push is the land of opportunity, Bro.' Quil reminded. 'And first beach is the cheapest form of entertainment. It's perfect for our budgets.'
'Yeah, but you've been like this through your shift, Embry.' Seth pointed out. 'It isn't just the bonfire. What's up?'
'Nothing more than the usual.' Embry said in return. 'If it's alright, I think I'm gonna phase back and get some sleep.'
'Not a problem.' Leah said confidently.
'See you tonight?' Quil clarified.
'Sure.' Came the glum reply, and then he was gone.
'Hey, anyone know if something's going on with the old Moorfield place?' was Quil's next thought.
'Nothing I'm aware of.' Leah said. 'Why? Something up?'
'Just smells different...cleaning stuffs and such… and something else I can't single out. Like someone's there. I'll check it out on my way in.' Quil informed.
'You need backup or anything?' Seth asked eagerly.
'Nah. I got this.' with that he slowed down, carefully sneaking to the dilapidated and half collapsed fence so he could peep through the sizable holes therein. 'Huh...that's new.' he thought, noting the freshly cut grass. Sounded like someone inside was singing too.
"In spring time!" The girl who was remodeling the place pranced outside, with a hanging pot in her hand. She was wearing...what appeared to be blue and green plaid men's boxer shorts and a light blue wife-beater...her rusty-red hair was tied back tightly in a high ponytail and her light blue eyes were practically sparkling with glee. There were freckles all over her face, but no where near as many as the ones that covered her arms and legs. "It's pretty ringy-ding time! Birds sing," and she placed a small step ladder under the eve of the house before continuing. "a-ding...a-ding-a-ding! Sweet lovers love the spring!" she finished happily, placing the hanging pot on a hook. "Now...I just have to figure out what to plant in you." She murmured to herself with a shrug.
'For real?' he heard Leah scoff mentally. He wanted to snicker himself.
After a few second's contemplation, the girl turned, about to walk straight down the later instead of having to walk backwards down. As she spun, her eyes landed on him and she froze.
"oofa." she murmured, making him duck down more.
'Quil!' Leah scolded.
'Oh crap...' he heard Seth groan.
'Can you get outta there without her noticing?' Leah was asking.
'Not sure. This fence isn't big and most of it's coming down. There are gaps in it everywhere. I doubt I could-Jesus!' He tumbled backwards a bit as a head popped through one of the gaps in the fence.
"Oh. Oh, it is a giant wolf. It is." She said with a smile. "I wasn't sure." She said shaking her head. "I mean you could've been a badger, but you're you."
'...what the f-'
'Leah!' Oh great, now Seth was scolding. For the most part, Quil was simply frozen looking up at this girl...
"Hidey-ho, Neighbor." the girl - woman - finished with a tiny wave before pulling herself back onto her side of the fence.
'Loopy as a loon that one.' Leah decided.
'I think she nice...hot too.' Seth defended.
There was a sigh over the link from Leah followed by, 'My brother.'
'Uh...any thoughts on what I should do now?' Quil asked. Out of sheer curiosity, he creeped forward and looked through the gap she had just been leaning out of. She actually had a measuring tape in hand now and was measuring the distance between two of the hooks hanging on the eave.
She looked over and saw him. "What, eh? Don't suppose you want a cup of sugar?" Quil sneezed in response. "I didn't think so."
Someone else was joining into the link. 'Hey, guys, sorry I'm late! Nessie had me-Holy Shit, Quil!'
'Jacob!' Leah scolded.
'Seriously, Leah, since when have you had a problem with cussin'?'
'Since my little brother keeps forbidding me from doing it.' Leah grumbled back.
'Sorry, Jake, but her reactions are sort of throwing me off here.' Quil explained.
"Look, are you gonna come in the yard or not?" she asked. "Then again, I don't suppose you can very easily... you're as big as a small pony!" she giggled. "That's quite strong, that is." She shook her head, unable to stop the big goofy grin on her face. "Sorry. It's the down-side of moving to an empty house as opposed to being in an enormous home with tons of family members." She sighed. "I never thought I'd be quoting Eddie Izzard." She said forlornly shaking her head. "There's this whole thing he talks about where he's saying that if Darth Vader didn't have the James Earl Jones voice, he wouldn't have been imposing at all. And then he starts this conversation between a British Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Something like, 'Luke, the force is strong with you.'" She said impersonating an English accent. " 'Well how strong is it?' Luke would answer and then Vader would say, 'Oh, it's as strong as a small pony!' and Luke would say, 'Oh, that's quite strong, that is!'." she let out a loud sigh.
Quil could only stare at her dumbly.
'What...' Jacob began.
'...the hell?' That was Seth this time.
'Loony girl not looking so hot any more, Seth?' Leah questioned with a chuckle.
"...I'm thinking I need a pet." She announced, her shoulders drooping tiredly. "Talking to yourself this much cannot be good." She took another deep breath. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but if I don't eat something my stomach may very well devour my backbone and I'll collapse. Buh~~ye!" She said, practically throwing herself into the doorway and shouting the door. "Piss off, you cellists!" came through the door.
'The hell was that!' Jacob asked.
'Your guess is as good as mine...would Billy know if a lunatic had moved into the neighborhood?' Quil asked.
'Dunno.'
'Guess it doesn't matter much anyway.' Seth said. 'Considering that she saw you, we'll just have to keep an eye on her.'
'No shit, Sherlock.' Leah grumbled back.
'Want me to take the first shift?' Quil asked. 'I'm here anyway...really, how difficult can it be to watch one chick?'
'Uh, Quil?' Jacob questioned. 'You remember Bella, yeah?"
'Point.'
Joanna flung herself onto her sofa with a sigh. "Finally. Everything is in its place... and it only took continuous work all day long." After her 'neighbor' had dropped by, she'd changed out of the comfy boxers into capris. Still easy to work, but with more coverage. It really didn't bother her... an enormous wolf had showed up and it didn't bother her at all. If one of the actual neighbors had dropped by to say 'hi', she would've been nervous... Sure, she'd been nervous as all get out, but animals aren't like people.
She jumped a bit, feeling the vibration of her cell phone. She smiled as she spied the name that flickered on the screen before flipping the phone open. "Mama?"
"Hey there, water baby!" came the excited voice.
Joanna smiled. "Hey, Mama."
"So, how is it over there? Stan said it didn't smell good, but Cassie said it had potential."
Joanna smiled. "It did smell, or rather didn't which is what smelled bad, but once I put on coffee that helped. It just hasn't had anyone really living in it for a while. You know."
"Ah, it needs presence."
"Yeah."
"So, have you gone to the beach yet?"
"No. I've been busy unpacking and putting everything up. You know how I am, once I start doing something-"
"You can't stand to leave it undone. Yes. I do recall." She could hear the smile in Mama's voice even over the phone.
"Oh... uh, you should tell Zac that I said thanks for the history lessons." Joanna said subtly. There was a calculating pause on the other end of the phone as Mama translated that into what it truly meant.
"I have told you to stay awake during such lessons. It may seem boring, but it teaches us the mistakes of those before us so we don't have to make them. You should always be aware of what's come before you."
Joanna nodded, understanding what that meant. Be aware. Be careful.
"Still, it's a dead subject. All those old horses died a long time ago, after all. No one can argue that." Joanna tried, hoping it would comfort Mama.
She heard a soft sigh on the other end, and the tension seemed to leak out of Mama's voice. "Sometimes it's better not to argue."
"Indeed." Joanna said with a smile. "Do you know when Uncle J will be back from Singapore?"
"Are you already fretting?" Mama asked with a hint of a chuckle. Good, the fear wasn't lingering. If Mama wasn't afraid, then she wouldn't be either. "You have an entire month and a half to prepare, Ducky. There's no need for you to go off your feed."
"Ha." Joanna laughed back humorlessly. "I don't fret, I simply prefer to be well prepared."
"As you say then. Considering that you managed to fix that place up in less than two days, I suppose there's little I can say to deter you. Hold on a moment, Ducky." There was a bit of a shuffle against the phone, and she heard Mama yelling, "Rozlin Jade! You get that lizard off your sister's ear and back into the garden! You've scared the poor thing silly, not to mention you know Dena is afraid of them! ... Don't you give me those eyes, young lady... That's more like it. I better not find any other critters have been carted into my house without my express invitation. Do you hear me? You'd better hear me." Joanna bit her lip to keep from giggling, but the sounds of shuffling signaled Mama's return. "Sorry, dear. Your little sisters are running me ragged. Used to it was the boys I had to keep after when it came to taunting the little girls." Even with the frustrated huff, there was a tint of affection in that tone.
"Rozlin's still testing you?" Though slight, the surprise was obvious in Joanna's tone.
"The home she came from ... well, you know how they can be. She just needs to know what is good behavior and what isn't, and how we'll react to either situation... remarkably just like every other child I've ever had." Mama said with a little laugh.
"I miss all of you."
"We miss you too, Ducky." Mama cooed back. "Is there anything you're needing?"
Joanna made a face, hating to ask for more from her family after all they'd done for her... but... "The back fence is in terrible repair..." She mentioned. "I could probably handle it on my own, but I wouldn't mind some help."
"Oh, Stan mentioned that. He said he'd call you in a few days, once he had a break, and arrange a time to fix that up... of course, that was four days ago, so you shouldn't have long to wait."
"That would be a big help." Joanna said, looking askance to the windows that viewed the back yard. She wasn't afraid of wolves, but open doors were welcome invitations and she didn't really want to go inviting any trouble into her new home... or back yard as it were.
"No need to worry over that. Now, get yourself something to snack on, and head down to the beach! You need to get out of that house, and the water is just what you need to get those creative juices you rely on so much to flowing."
"I can't argue with you there."
"Even if you could, it would do you no good." Mama replied, and even Joanna had to smirk at that.
"Of course." Mama's word was law after all. "I'm going to fix myself some soup and then I'll be off."
"Good. Take care, my Ducky."
"Love you, Mama. My love to the littles."
"Love you, too."
Joanna lifted the phone from her ear, eyeing the screen. The picture of Mama with a little one on each hip smiled back at her until she hung up. Joanna flipped the phone closed and hopped up to obey her own instructions. Hearing Mama's voice had made her feel reenergized.
Leah eyed the house dully. The girl hadn't come out since her first 'conversation' with Quil. Not that it stopped them from listening to her bustle about. There had been a lot of strange chatter for about twenty minutes after the incident, but then things had really settled... Nothing but humming, the same tune over and over. Soft and soothing really, but it was no where near as entertaining as the insane babbling had been.
'Only just met her this morning and already you've pronounced her crazy.' That would be Seth... again. 'Geeze, Leah. I'm just checking on you.' he reminded glumly.
'Yeah, well, it's not like staking out her house has been terribly dangerous.'
Seth bounded out of the brushwork and pranced near her still form. She saw no reason to get up.
'Guess that means nothing's happened since we left you to it?'
'Nothing much. Got a phone call from her mom, and she mentioned something about going to the beach.'
Seth had his own glance over the memories Leah mentioned before responding. 'That's convenient. We'll all be at the beach tonight...'
Leah's ears perked up a bit, only to sink again. The only reason she'd agreed to relieve Quil had been because it meant getting out of going to the bonfire.
'Come on, Leah. You and Sam haven't so much as set eyes on each other in how long? It wouldn't kill you to attend...' Seth whined. 'I do not whine!'
Leah chuckled mentally. 'Of course not.' Leah gave a huffing sigh that puffed out her lips a bit before turning her noise towards the ground. It had been years... It didn't hurt as much. Not half as much. But still.
The two wolves looked up as the side door opened. The loon stepped out in a long light blue dress that matched her eyes. It was tighter up top but more sack-like all the way down to just above her ankles. The outline of her body was easy to make out in the right light, and it was plain to see it was just something she was wearing over her clothes... Weird.
'It's not weird... she's just... modest.' Seth defended. Leah only stared at him. 'What?'
'She's wearing a wife-beater and capris under that... how is that immodest?'
This time Seth huffed. 'Some people are shyer than others.'
'You are just determined to defend her.'
Seth's tail wagged just a bit. 'Yeah, well. Only because everyone else seems so determined on making fun of her.'
'You and your lost causes.' Leah grumbled lifting herself up with a yawn. 'Looks like she's made the choice for us. We can't go to the beach like this anyway... guess we're going to the bonfire tonight.'
'Alright!' Seth said with a yip.
'Seth!' Leah growled. Her eyes went to the now still back of the girl. The Loon turned and met the eyes of the two wolves just under the forest's edge. She smiled and waved and then turned to walk down her driveway.
'...she's really nice.'
'And really loony.' Leah quipped back. 'Funny though, her mom called her 'Ducky'. There seems to be a bird motif.' she thought with a chuckle before turning to run home.
'Giant wolves.' Joanna thought as she continued down the street. 'What does it say for my bruised psyche that I would prefer to stay with the giant wolves rather than risk having to talk to a person?' She shook her head with a sigh, picking up her pace a bit. Supposedly, it was a 10 minute walk to the beach... give or take... but she honestly enjoyed walking. The sun was hanging low in the late afternoon sky, and she decided that she would only leave the beach when the sun had set... There was no going back until then. She would not retreat home. Mama was right... she did need to get out of the house. She had promised not to become a shut-in, after all.
Luckily, there weren't really that many people in La Push. Or, if there were, they were all in some other place right now. The walk to the beach was a quite one, and she ended up making it in six minutes... either she was a fast walker or she took long strides. There were some people at the beach, but she made sure to give them a wide berth. After all, she was chiefly interested in the ocean. Still, their presence made her a tad uneasy.
She began softly humming 'Inama Nushif' to herself, as it tended to sooth her. Normally, when she felt uneasy or panicked, she would sing. The demand to correctly sing lyrics actually regulated her breathing, as it forced her to breath properly for the singing. But... she only sang when she was by herself. She would just have to satisfy herself with humming. It did help a bit as it was something to focus on.
As soon as the water lapped up at her toes the muscles in her back and shoulders relaxed. She walked into the chilly water, till she was sure that her ankles would be well submerged even during the waves' retreat. She picked her dress up just a bit so that the hem wouldn't get too wet. She knew there was only so much she could do as that was concerned, and it really was a small price to pay. Her head lolled back, and she enjoyed the song of the waves...simply standing there and letting herself relax.
"Hey, that's a chick."
Embry looked up at the younger boys as they looked across the beach. The tiny figure, clad in blue, waded into ankle deep water and just stood there. He stood with Paul and Jared, eyeing her back dubiously.
"Hey, I think that's the loon." Quil said with a quiet chuckle.
"Loon?" Sam asked.
"The girl we told you about." Jacob verified.
"We started calling her 'the loon' because she was acting... a little loony." Quil elaborated with a grin. Sam and Emily looked at him disapprovingly, but no one else seemed to take offense.
"She's the one that saw you?" Paul asked.
"Stuff it, Paul." Quil bit out, but it held little heat. He really couldn't be bothered to get truly riled with Claire holding his hand. Paul only snorted a laugh.
"Maybe we should go and make her acquaintance." Emily said looking to Sam. Sam only arched a brow. "It may soften the blow... to know the people behind the wolves... if ever there comes a time when we decide to tell her, that is."
"Why would we do that?" Sam asked.
"She didn't panic, and she didn't say anything to anyone about it. I'm only saying... it would be neighborly." Emily said, lowering her eyes and looking away, turning her attention back to the food. Sam sighed and eyed the girl again. After living so long with Sam, Emily had learned that raised voices and anger did not work in persuading him. She softly stated her opinion and then backed off for him to reach the only conclusion there was. Her's.
"Do you hear that?" Embry asked, taking a few steps towards the sound. It was coming from the girl.
Jared cocked his head to the side. "I think she's singing... I didn't hear it when she first waded in and it's really faint but..."
"That isn't english though."
"It's beautiful." Embry mumbled.
The others turned and looked at him as he continued to stare a hole into the girls shoulders.
"Uh... it's... alright." Paul said dumbly, scratching the back of his head.
"It is soothing." Kayla said. She smiled at Jared. "I think Emily's right. Either way, we shouldn't just stand here and gawk at her, it's rude." As means of answer, Jared slipped his hand into hers and started walking that way with her.
Embry was a few steps ahead of them, drawing closer to the girl. There was a strange prickling around the base of his skull and up his spine, not too unlike the times they had fought vampires... he usually thought of it as his body's natural reaction to danger. The rush of adrenaline helping him to respond as quickly as he needed to. As he got closer, the voice got sweeter. He didn't notice when Jared stopped, pulling Kayla to a stop beside him. Jared placed a finger to his lips, telling her to be silent.
Embry drew up beside her silently. And then those blue eyes turned on him with all their fury. The pin-priks went from white-hot to a dull warm, expanding and spreading through his spine and belly but most noticeably through his chest. Her eyes and face were all there were here... her song stopped, and he was certain she could hear his pounding heart. Even the waves wouldn't mute that. She was a siren... a fierce beauty that called to him.
But...her face wasn't fierce. It was frozen. Terrified. His breathing started back up again, but he had no idea what to say to her now. She stared at him, obviously petrified, and he too was paralyzed. He didn't want to make her run... if she ran, he would have to chase her... wouldn't he?
"Hi there!" Kayla's voice literally made her jump two feet away. She landed, still on her feet, with a splash.
"Merlin and Morgane." She breathed, her arms wrapping around her torso tightly. She pretended to chafe her arms as though she were cold, but he knew the defensive posture very well... not to mention, she was practically folding in on herself.
"Oh, I'm sorry if we scared you." Kayla said casually. Her smile always came with ease, and it usually put people at ease. It wasn't working now. "We're having a bonfire over there, and we saw you all by yourself over here. We thought it'd be rude not to introduce ourselves at least."
Embry could feel the approach of his other pack brothers, and he could hear the girls with them. Not that he would need to. His siren shifted back a bit, leaning heavily on her left foot. Her eyes darted to his and away again to the water around her feet. She was uncomfortable near him. It took effort, but he turned his gaze away. Quil was there beside him, and Jacob. Both of them were grinning at him like idiots. Didn't they realize that this wasn't going good at all? She was terrified! And he had to fix it...
"Would you like to join us?" Kayla asked.
The girl swallowed convulsively. "I... uh... I was just..." She tried to shrug nonchalantly but it came off too twitchy. He saw her eyes dart to the horizon and the sun hanging scant inches above the water.
"Are you alone?" Embry asked baffled. She froze again, her wide eyes clicked over to him. She was afraid of him. She glanced at the growing crowd around her, and all color left her face. Not a single freckle remained, and she looked sick without them. She was afraid of them. She wrapped a hand around the dusky brown pendant, a simple jagged rock, that hung from her neck, clutching it in a nervous habit. Embry surprised himself by glaring at the others before continuing. "We won't hurt you, it's just... it isn't safe for a woman to be alone."
She eyed him again, those ice blue eyes so deep he would gladly remain forever frozen by them.
"Not safe?" Quil questioned him. "La Push is safe. We keep it safe, thanks very much." Embry glared at Quil, which was the only thing that made him shut up now. Quil was obviously in shock from the force of it. This wasn't a 'you're a dick' glare. This was a 'One more word and I kill you, asshole' glare.
"Joanna?" The resonating baritone made them all jump a bit. All except the siren. It must have been what the girls felt like whenever the pack snuck up on them soundlessly. One minute, they were alone. The next, a seven foot tall bruiser and a curvaceous femme fatal were behind them. The man was blond with piercing blue eyes, sporting a body that looked like it may give any one of them a run for their money. The woman next to him didn't need to walk to have a slink in her spine, and her long strawberry blond hair swung gracefully about her hips, as blue eyes matching the man next to her twinkled teasingly at them. The man was not teasing. He was hard and dangerous. He glared at each one there in turn before his gaze settled on Embry. Then, his eyes narrowed and he eyed Embry more slowly. Embry couldn't help but swallow hard at the inspection. Why did it feel like this man could see right through him?
"Stan." The girl said. Joanna he had called her.
"Oh, baby girl, what are you doing out here? You're shivering, Jojo." The woman cooed, sliding through all of them and straight to his siren. She removed her own brown leather jacket and placed it around the girl's shoulders. She then looked back at Stan, who was still eyeing Embry. "Stan, quit being an ass and get over here, ya'ass." She ordered.
Stan blinked, dull eyes giving her a stodgy glare. With a sigh he pushed forward, somehow gracefully managing to lace through the crowd and reach the two women he knew. He bent effortlessly as he walked and actually picked 'Jojo' up in the crook of one arm, simply using the momentum of his walk to continue going without stopping.
"Got you, little sis." He murmured with a crooked slip of a smile, then turned and began walking back towards the road. Embry felt himself tense, the burn of jealousy rift through him as she relaxed against him, closing her eyes.
Embry had actually moved to follow, but the other women got in his way. He stared down at her incredulously.
"Listen, Hon. My twin isn't just mean, he's monstrous." She said with a bright smile, as though she were discussing something delightful. "And he lets loose when he thinks he has to protect his little siblings. So trust me when I say, you don't want to go down this road."
"Yeah, let it go, Embry." Jacob said softly.
They didn't understand! He was leaving... with her! He ducked his head, closing his eyes and tried to breathe. But she had been so afraid of them... how much more frightened would she be? If he became not just that guy that startled her, but the one that wouldn't stop stalking her? Then she really would run from him. He nodded dully.
"Embry." The woman said. "That's a wonderful name." Embry hated the tone she took... the familiarity—like she knew him so well. "I'm Casandra. And I'd better catch up with Stanley before he forgets that he has to protect me too." with that she slunk away, not bothering to give any of them a second look.
The group eyed them all as they retreated, not speaking or changing their stances until they were well out of earshot. Kayla sighed wearily, looking to Jared as though she expected he was somehow disappointed in her. As if he could be.
"Well...that's great." Quil mumbled. He smiled when Embry's eyes coasted to him. "You found her, man. Your imprint at last. That's good news!"
"Yeah, and she's scared stiff of me." Embry growled.
"Aw, it never comes easy...you just gotta be persistent and patient."
"Quil?"
"Yeah, man?"
"Shut up, Quil." Embry bit out. Now he really wasn't in the mood for this bonfire.
"Embry." Jacob's voice was firm. "You're still expected to perform your duties you know?"
Embry stared at Jacob uncomprehendingly. What could he possibly mean by that? And why would he pull rank at a time like this? "I know." Of course he knew! An imprint didn't excuse any member of the pack from their obligations.
Jacob nodded. "Good. Then you wouldn't mind if I assigned you to watch the new girl's house tonight?"
Embry stared at Jacob for a long moment before nodding. "Yeah, that'd be fine." he said in a hurry, barely noting Jacob's nod as he trotted off.
"Good plan." Leah murmured.
"Not as if he woulda had his head here if I wouldn't have asked him to stick with her." Jacob said.
"This is me not arguing." Leah said with a shrug.
"Wonder among wonders." Quil joked. "Ow!"
With swiftness that would've put Leah to shame, Embry raced through the forest. He knew the way well, and was at her home before she was. And so an enormous gray wolf with dappled black patches paced uneasily beneath the forest's edge. He had five minutes to himself to wear a path into the ground and worry about all the things that went wrong. He had snuck up on her, he had been with a large group of friends, he had stared at her like she was something to eat. Good God. No wonder she had been scared. She was a girl. A young girl still. Out, alone, in a new place, and what happens?
His internal tirade was finally interrupted when Bruiser was finally sighted. His twin, Slinky, trotted past him to open the front door for him as his hands were currently full. He couldn't see them after that, but he could still hear..
And that's it so far :) I hope you liked what's here. Lemme know what ya thought one way or the other (as long as it's constructive), and I hope to update as soon as I can :3 peace out!