Hello there everyone! Sorry, I haven't uploaded in awhile, I've been busy with school and such but now since we're on winter break I'll be able to upload chapters more frequently. I really think you guys are gonna like this chapter so enjoy and don't forget to leave me reviews about what you thinks gonna happen or what you wish will happen. Feedbacks always nice :) Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy :)
-Sofia
"Fate controls who walks into your life, but you decide who you let walk out, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go." –Unknown
Once when I was eight years old I broke my arm. Jacob, Quil, and I were running in the woods, sticks we found earlier on the floor in hand pretending they were swords as we swung them back and forth at each other. We'd pretend to hit each other and make dramatic noises as we doubled up and fell to the ground laughing our heads off. I was a clumsy child, my long arms and legs not yet grown into my body. Still at eight I was the tallest. Jacob next but his body was more evened out. Then Quil who was a little chubbier (me and Jacob liked to make fun of him for that).
My mom worked during the weekdays as a nurse at the local hospital, so I would always go over to Jacobs or Quils after school until my mom got out of work and was able to pick me up. Sarah, Jacobs's mom, was always painting something and didn't want us to get dirty or mess it up so she'd send us out to play in the woods. Same with Quils mom. Quils dad had died in a storm when he was young so that left his mom, Joy, and her father-in-law, Quil Ateara III, to raise him in all ways possible.
Every now and then we'd ask Sam, who was twelve at the time, and Paul and Jared, who were eleven, to join us but since they were older they wanted nothing to do with us little kids. Sam's dad, Joshua Uley, had left his mom and him when Sam was young because he was poor and found the responsibility of having a family too great to handle. No one's seen or have had any sort of contact with him in a while.
One time when we were at the beach Sam, Paul, and Jared had come up to us and badgered to me that I had life easy. They said I should be grateful I had not known my father. In all ways we were all alike. We had all lost someone we loved very much in a tragic accident or from abandonment. Some of us just had the tragedy of knowing our parents. Maybe that's why they thought I was lucky. But still, a part of me would have wanted to know my dad, but seeing what had happened to the rest of the guys maybe I was lucky. We were all children of the storm.
Anyways, we were running through the woods when we came up to a big tree in the middle of the woods. The tree was probably a billion years old but still strong as ever. Every storm, including the one that had killed Quils dad, had destroyed the surrounding trees, but this one still fought to live another day.
It was tall, probably one hundred feet, and had little pegs going up it, as if it were meant for someone to climb it.
"I dare you to climb to the top," Jacob said looking at me.
"Why me?" I asked, sweat forming on my forehead.
"Because you're the tallest and lightest, it'll be easier for you," Jacob said walking over to the tree and tried to climb it but fell, "See. My feet are too big, and I bet Quil couldn't fit his butt up there anyways even if he did try."
"Hey!" Quil yelled in protest.
"Come on, Em," Jacob begged using the nickname he and Quil had given me years ago, "Unless you're chicken?"
"I'm not chicken," I cried balling my fists at my sides.
"Bawk bawk bawk!" Jacob said imitating a chicken, even putting his hands on his hips and bending them at the elbows, flapping them back and forth.
I knew he wouldn't stop, so I angrily walked over to the tree and set my foot on the first peg. I reached up to grab a peg and hoisted my body up setting my foot on more and more pegs as I climbed up the tree. I didn't have anything against heights, but they weren't my favorite. Still, I refused to look down as I climbed higher and higher.
As I got higher the amount of pegs decreased and soon I was finding myself having to step down to a previous peg so that I could try again. When stepping down to a previous peg I accidently looked down at the ground. Jacob and Quil looked like ants, and I soon panicked. I started screaming and crying for my mom to get me down, tears running down my cheeks.
Jacob and Seth sensed my panic, and I heard Quil yell up, "It's okay, Em. Don't panic. Do you want us to go get your mom?"
But of course I couldn't stop panicking. I was a little kid for Christ's sake, I was scared, and thought I was going to die, there was no way for me to shut up.
"It's okay, Em," I heard Quil yell up again, "You can do this. Just set your foot on the peg below your right foot."
My whole body shaking, I set my foot on the peg below my right one and tried to make my way down.
"That's good," I heard Quil encourage, "Slow and steady now."
I continued to make my way slowly down the tree when I stepped down and reached up to grab a peg. My hand slipped as did my footing, and I fell a good twenty feet down that tree and onto the muddy grassy floor, landing on my right arm, the air getting knocked out of my lungs.
Some of the last things I saw that day was Quil yelling my name as both of them rushed to my side to see if I was okay and Quil yelling at Jacob to call my mom or one of the elders. It was one of the only times I've ever seen Quil act superior toward Jacob.
Quil had tears running down his chubby cheeks as he begged me to stay awake while Jacob ran to get one of the elders. But my eyes soon closed and when I reopened them I was being lifted into an ambulance on a gurney, my right arm lying over my chest, and a face mask on my mouth to help me breathe, my mother crying at my side holding my little hand.
I was driven to the nearest hospital and x-rayed immediately. I had broken my right arm in three different places and was lucky to have survived the fall. The Doctor put a blue cast around my whole arm, that I said I wanted, and told me that I shouldn't move it or use it for a few weeks.
I was forced to stay at the hospital for a few days so they could make sure I was doing alright. I had landed roughly on my lungs and they wanted to make sure I was breathing well on my own. My mother was my nurse the whole entire time after she demanded her boss that she would have no other person tend to my needs then her. She was a good nurse. She would read me stories at night and would hold my hand, the one that wasn't broken, until I feel asleep.
Jacob and Quil visited me a few times in the hospital. Jacob apologized over and over saying that he shouldn't have dared me, but I kept telling him it was alright. They asked if they could see my cast, for which I showed them, and they told me I looked like a robot. We laughed all day till their parents picked them up and they were forced to go home.
Even though I left the hospital a few days later I spent the next few weeks constantly blaming myself for falling off that stupid tree. If only I hadn't panicked I wouldn't have broken my arm. Thinking about it now eight years later, I laugh at myself knowing now I would never panic in a serious situation. Being part of the pack taught me that and fast. If you panic you might as well as count yourself dead.
"Why doesn't it surprise me at all that you haven't heard anything I've said in the past five minutes?" A voice, Seth, says annoyed, interrupting my thoughts.
"Sorry," I mumble, shifting uncomfortably on the log, "I was distracted thinking about something."
"Shocker," Seth says sarcastically, and I roll my eyes, "What were you thinking about?"
"Jacob, Quil, and I when we were younger," I reply honestly.
"Things have really changed, haven't they?" Seth says looking out at Quil playing with Claire and Jacob playing with Renessmee by the water.
I nod looking at them to, "We surely aren't the same kids we were eight years ago."
Seth turns to speak to his sister, Leah, as I think back to the reason why we're here. In a nutshell, they dragged us along. Jared and Kim, Paul and Rachel, and Sam and Emily were sitting on the sand a few feet away from us embraced in each other's arms.
"The signs of imprinting," I mumble to myself, disgusted looking out at Quil and Claire, who was only two, and Jacob and Renessmee, who was only one but looked seven or eight, the effects of a vampire-human cross bred, playing out in the water.
Four of us, Seth, Leah, Collin and Brady, were forced here and sat on a nearby log in our lonely club. Whenever there imprints were along we were basically left in the dust. Only five of us left. Five of us. Five.
I turn my head to look at the waves when I see someone walking along the beach. There hood is up covering there face, but I can tell it's a girl by the jeans and shoes there wearing. She's kicking stones, her hands in her pockets, probably trying to warm them up. She walks over to a nearby log and sits down, her elbows resting on her knees, her chin on her fist. She turns to look at us, and I quickly look away.
"What it is?" Seth asks sensing my discomfort.
"N-Nothing," I stumble, my eyes fixed on a random stone in the sand.
Seth continues his conversation with Leah, and I take the opportunity to look back over at the girl who's getting off the log and heading up to the parking lot.
This time though I don't notice Seth look at me as I look at the girl and his eyes follow mine. Leah's eyes follow Seth's, Collin and Brady's eyes follow Leah's. Sam notices us all looking and his eyes follow ours and the rest of the pack's eyes follow his. Soon were all looking at this girl who gives us one last glance before hoping into her car.
When she pulls out of the parking lot she quickly looks into her rearview mirror and her eyes connect with mine. She has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. There the color of the sea, not whens the waves are barreling against the shore like they are now, but when its calmer more reserved.
She quickly takes her eyes off the rearview mirror and drives away fast. Slowly, everyone adverts there attention back to where it was before, my eyes though still fixed on the parking lot.
"Embry. Earth to Embry!" Seth yells in my ear, and I snap my head back to look at him, "I've been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes, what's up?"
"Sorry," I mumble embarrassed, "I just-I was-Its just-"
"Do you know her?" Seth asks cutting me off.
"What?" I gasp, my face turning red, "No! I've never seen her before in my life."
"Hmm," Seth says giving me a smirk.
"Anyways, I better get going," I say pushing myself off the log and onto my feet, my face still red.
"Where are you going?" Seth asks, his face full of concern.
"Um, home," I say shrugging, "You know how my mom is."
Seth nods sadly, and I playfully punch his shoulder, "If Sam asks tell him that's where I went, See ya later, Kid."
Seth gives me a smile goodbye, and I take off running in the other direction. When I turn down the road I see out of the corner of my eye Sam give me a look. If looks could kill his would have. I take off running faster, not exactly knowing where I'm going but having a good idea, Sam's eyes burning holes in the back of my head.
I actually did end up going home for a few hours. My mom had gotten off work early and when I walked through the front doors she had dinner waiting for me on the table. I ate quickly, finished my homework for Mr. Horvitz class, and told my mom I was going to bed early. Really though, I had a late shift that I couldn't afford to be late to. She kissed me goodnight, and I walked to my room, locking the door behind me, and jumping out the window and into the black night.
I ran into the woods, stripped out of my clothes, hid them in the tree, and transformed into the wolf part of me I was so used to. Instantly a million thoughts hit my head like a ton of bricks, "I'm the Alpha and what I say goes."
"Barely," A voice mumbled, and I recognized it as Quil.
"Shut up!" Sam growled, "We'll wait for Embry to get here and then we'll split up in our usual routes."
"He takes forever," A voice wined, Leah, "What's his problem? Why can't he just tell his mom?"
Sam sighed, "Embry's situation is…difficult, we must respect his wishes and trust him when he says he knows what he's doing."
"It would be better if he wasn't even here, one less person to drag us down," Leah mumbled.
"Shut up, Leah!" Seth yelled, "Embry's sacrificed so much for this pack, you should respect him!" By then I've reached the rest of them without thinking a single thing.
"There's no need to defend me, Seth," I said surprising them all, "Your sisters just a nuisance to everyone, trust me, I've learned to deal with her bull-shit."
Leah scoffed, "Glad to see you could finally make it. Took you long enough."
"I apologize for me being late these past couple of days, it won't happen again," I said to everyone, but mostly Sam.
"It's alright, Em," Sam said, "Your right though, Leah is a nuisance."
"At least I'm not afraid to imprint," she spit through her teeth.
"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, confused on why she was bringing that up.
"I saw the way you looked at that girl on the beach," she continued, walking up to stand in front of me, "Still haven't imprinted, have you?"
I jump at the topic of the mysterious girl, enough for Leah to notice. She snickers, and I quickly say, "Back to my original question, what does that have to do with anything?"
She snickered, "I may not be able to read your mind all times of the day, but I know that you want to imprint but are ashamed that you can't."
"Shut up!" I yelled, baring my teeth at her.
"Face it, Em," she said mocking my nickname, "The fact that you can't imprint makes you more of a monster then the rest of us. Your inability to fall in love makes you what you can't stand."
Not being able to maintain my self-control any longer I lunged at Leah tackling her to the ground. Leah's fast and strong and was able to push me off her and fight against me. Only when Sam pushed me away from her and Paul pushed her away from me did we finally stop.
"Knock it off the both of you!" Sam yells at us, but adverts his last sentence to me, "Embry, you shouldn't have attacked Leah. You've always been the one with the most self-control. What were you thinking?
Before I could answer he turns to yell at Leah, "And Leah! You shouldn't have said those things to Embry! That was totally uncalled for!"
"That's what he gets for calling me a nuisance," she rebuts, fighting against Paul to try to attack me again.
"No, he doesn't," he said and stepped away from me to stand in front of the both of us, "Now, if you would both stop acting like children, I want everyone to split up in their separate routes. Go!"
Everyone ran in different directions leaving only Leah, Sam, Paul, myself, and Seth.
"Seth, is there something you need?" Sam asked annoyed.
"I usually do my routes with Paul and Embry," he said shyly, looking between Paul and I.
Sam nodded and asked me, "Are you alright?"
Baffled I said, "Of course I'm alright," pushing past him to join Seth. We exchanged nods before running off into the woods together to do our usual routes seeing that Paul wouldn't be joining us tonight.
"Leah shouldn't have said those things," Seth mumbled quietly looking at me as we walked, inspecting our usual route.
"Yeah? Well I shouldn't have attack her like that, I'm sorry," I said meeting Seth's gaze.
"Don't worry, I would have attacked her to," he said smirking.
I matched his smirk, "Who wouldn't?"
Now it's morning. The sun brightly shinning across the sky making everything appear brighter hit my fur in certain parts making it shine. I had school soon but every once in a while I would come down to my meadow I found forever ago and just lay here in my wolf form. None of the boys were in there form this early and none of them knew where this place was so it was just me and my thoughts.
The leaves have just begun changing colors on the trees, brown to green, green to orange, orange to brown. The grass was still green and was growing long. Some parts of it got between my paws, tickling them.
Different flowers still blossomed and grew in different patches. All different shades of blues, pinks, and reds. Sometimes even deer crossed through and other little creatures when I was in my human form, but not now. Little animals were afraid of me.
Thinking back to it maybe Leah had a point. Us transforming, our ability to shape shift makes us monsters. But our ability to love unconditionally and like no other makes us human, and the fact that I couldn't fall in love makes me even more of a monster.
"Embry, are you there?" A soft voice, Seth, says in my head, "Come on, we got to get going to school."
"I'll be there in a minute," I mumble sadly, my wonderful morning coming to an end.
I drag my sad butt off the meadow floor and walk slowly back into the actual part of the woods to the tree where I ditched my clothes. I transform, my bones shifting back to their usual shape, and change into my regular clothes: a long sleeve navy blue V-neck that I push up to the elbows, jeans, and my tan boots.
I run out of the woods and to my motorcycle that I parked alongside the road. My backpacks sitting on the seat, and I take out my cell-phone to call Seth to tell him that I'll just meet him at school.
Once I hang up, I put on my backpack, hop on my motorcycle, kick up the stand, and put the key into the ignition, grinning in relief when the bike roars to life.
I found the motorcycle at an old junk yard and spent the whole summer when I was fifteen fixing it up with the help of Jacob and Quil. Finally a few days before I turned sixteen the bike started up and I've been riding it since. My mom's not a fan of the motorcycle. She thinks it's a death trap designed by men to impress women, but I told her I would drive safely at all times and she finally agreed.
The drive from where I am to La Push High School isn't very long. Even though I promised my mom I would be safe, there aren't any cars on the road, so I drive twenty miles over the speed limit. Even though I should be wearing a helmet, I don't. I have one, but it's a nuisance to wear, like Leah.
I arrive at school twenty minutes before the bells supposed to ring. I park my bike in the usual spot next to Jacob's and walk into the front doors of the school. I have probably the worst locker spot in the history of school lockers. It's in the middle of none of my classes. I'm pretty sure the lady scheduling my locker was drunk and wasn't paying attention to where any of my classes where. And sadly, I'm stuck with the same locker for four years.
It's not just the placement that sucks though. It's also who I'm next to. My lockers right next to a guy, of course he has to be older than me, who looks like a mixture between Charlie Sheen and Chuck Norris in there teen years. The biggest joke of all is that he actually has a girlfriend. She's his age but looks more like she should have graduated high school years ago. She has long brown hair and puke green eyes. But worst of all she wears the most revealing outfits I've ever seen, and she flirts with me right in front of her boyfriend but he's to blind to see it. She even has a tattoo on the small of her back that looks like it's supposed to be a stamp that says 'Tramp'. Winner, right?
Thankfully when I get to my locker there not there, but I quickly exchange my stuff and walk away anyways in case there nearby.
Jacob and Quil are standing in our usual spot in the commons, and I give them a smile once I arrive.
They give me a smile back and Jacob says, "Where were you this morning?"
Not even Jacob or Quil know about my meadow, so I lie and say, "Just wandering around, trying to clear my head," they cock their heads in confusion, and I quickly change the subject, "Where's Seth?"
"We thought he was with you," Quil says.
"I haven't talked to him since this morning," I say taking out my phone to call him, but out of the corner of my eye I see Seth coming over to us dragging along someone by the wrist.
"Hey guys," he greets us happily, walking over to stand beside Quil, still holding onto the girl's wrist, "this is Maxine Felix. Maxine this is Jacob, Quil, and Embry," he introduces us, finally letting go of the girl now identified as Maxine's wrist. When he says my name I turn my head to the side to look at the girl standing next to me and our eyes meet for a split second before she turns to look at Quil, but that one second was enough.
I feel my world stop spinning, its likes a string, strong as that tree I fell off as a kid, connects me to her. A glowing heat as hot and bright as the sun fills me and everything else in my world, my friends, my family, the pack has become severed and is second to the girl standing in front of me. It's like she's all that matters in the world. This deep need hits me in the gut to do anything and everything to please and protect her.
What was it that Jacob said to me about imprinting?
"It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like... gravity moves... suddenly. It's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does... You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a friend, or a lover."
Imprinting? The word, the phrase I've heard so many times, slips from my memory. My mind swirls around her and only her. Her long blondish-brownish hair that hangs in one of her beautiful blue eyes. Wait…blue eyes? I recognize those eyes anywhere. She was the girl at the beach with their hood up. She was the girl whose eyes connected with mine in the parking lot. Maxine. Maxine. Maxine. Even her names beautiful.
She's wearing a lilac colored V-neck jumper with a leather jacket over it. She's also wearing a pair of tight fitting jeans that makes a blush come to my cheeks, and on her feet she's wearing a pair of floral printed boots. On her face she wears a little makeup that instantly makes me angry. Why would a beautiful girl like her cover up her natural beauty with makeup?
She's standing only about a foot away, and I can smell the scent of lavender, roses, and mint
coming off her. She smells so good.
She's tall for a girl, probably 5'9" or 5'10", but standing beside my 6'5" frame she only comes to about my shoulder.
She must notice me staring because her eyes meet mine, and I feel my heart flop in my chest. I don't know what to say or do, so I walk away in the other direction, mentally hitting myself for being such an idiot. Why the hell did you walk away? She probably thinks you're mad at her? That's not the way to introduce yourself to your imprint you idiot!
I spend the rest of the day up to seventh hour mentally hitting myself and of course thinking about Maxine. Anger flashes through me in third hour science when I realize that Seth was touching her. How dare he touch her? Embry, cool yourself. Seth doesn't know you imprinted. And plus he touched her wrist it's not like he was kissing her or anything.
Anger flashes through me again when a picture of Seth kissing Maxine goes through my head, and I don't notice until the teacher snaps me out of my thoughts that I had broken a vial.
In seventh hour AP U.S. History I take my usual spot next to one else and take out my notebook. I begin doodling just random shapes and letters when I notice I've written Maxine's name over and over again, and I angrily scribble it out.
Why are you so upset? You've finally imprinted. Something you've always wanted. But I was finally getting used to the fact that I wasn't going to imprint. I finally told myself without cringing that I was never going to imprint. I finally accepted the facts that it just wasn't in the cards for me. Now I'm one of them and only four people are left. I went from being the Alpha of the 'never going to imprint club' to a member of the cult.
The bells rings and everyone takes their usual seats. Mr. Horvitz just begins talking when someone comes through the door. My eyes snap up for a minute to see who it is and they don't go back down. Maxine. Her cheeks red with embarrassment. A map of the school held tightly in her small delicate hands. Her eyes meet mine for a second, but she takes them away when Mr. Horvitz asks her a question.
"Is there a reason why you're late?" Mr. Horvitz asks, sternly.
Don't be mean to her! I want to yell but restrain myself by gripping the side of the table rather roughly, my knuckles turning white.
"Yeah, sorry," she says, her voice as light and delicate as I imagined it would be, "it's my first day and I got lost. It won't happen again."
"Oh yeah, you're Maxine, the new girl," he says coming over to shake her hand and fire burns through my veins when their hands meet.
"That's me," she says shyly.
He releases her hand and a rush of relief comes to me. He turns to face the class, "Class everyone listen up," he calls the class to attention, "We have a new student today. Everyone this is Maxine Felix, she just moved here from New York and will be attending La Push High for some time. Welcome Maxine, I hope your day is going well."
"Very much, thank you. Hello everyone," she say giving a slight smile, and turns to give everyone a small wave.
"Maxine, it looks like you'll be sitting next to Embry seeing that he's the only one without a table partner," Mr. Horvitz says, and I feel my heart flip over again at knowing we'll be sitting next to each other.
I look up at her and we make eye contact again for a split second before I put my head back down, embarrassed by what happened this morning.
I hear her walk over to me and gently sit down into the seat next to me. I act as if I'm doing something by doodling in my notebook, but everything I write turns out to be her name. My face flushes, and I keep my head down to embarrassed to meet her eyes.
Out of the corner of my eye I see her roll her eyes, and I lift my head to try to pay attention to what Mr. Horvitz saying, but quickly find it a challenge, "Today class we will be learning about World War 2. Take out your books and turn to chapter two while I pass out the worksheets."
I put my head back down and hear her take out her textbook and ruffle through the pages until she reaches chapter 2. Quickly I do the same thing. Mr. Horvitz sets two worksheets on our table and Maxine and I reach for one at the same time. Our hands touch and electricity shoots up my fingertips and we both pull back quickly. I wonder immediately if she felt the same thing.
My fingertips burn from where her fingertips touched mine and a blush floods to my cheeks. Even though her hand was cold it felt like fire against mine, and I wanted nothing but to take her hands in mine and warm them up.
I look up at her, and I feel the blush on my cheeks become deeper as her eyes meet mine. Being the gentlemen I'm trying to perceive myself as being, I let her pick up the paper first and then I pick up one myself. We work in silence for a few minutes. Except I don't work. I conjure up probably fifty speeches in my head, none of them sounding right before finally I just spit out, "Hi, I think you remember me. My names Embry. I'm friends with Seth."
"Yeah, I remember you," she says, refusing to make eye contact with me, "You looked at me and then ran away."
No. She's mad at me. Nice going, Embry.
"I-I'm sorry," I stumble, no other words coming out of my mouth, "I didn't mean to react like that, I'm just shy I guess."
She finally looks up and her eyes meet mine. I gasp, and I think I see a light blush come to her cheeks, but I must be imagining it as she lowers her head back down to her paper, "Yeah, well it's not very comforting for a girl who's just starting school somewhere new and already has people already running away from her."
"I'm sorry, Maxine," I blurt out, stupidly reaching out to touch her elbow.
The bell rings, and she pulls away before I can touch her. She quickly gathers her stuff, throws it into her backpack, and walks out of the classroom before I can say anything else. I quickly gather my stuff and run out of the classroom after her. She's only a few feet ahead and once again I make the stupid choice of grabbing her arm as she's yanked against me, her hand landing on my chest.
"D-Don't touch me!" She sputters, pushing against my chest. She walks away faster, and I continue to walk after her.
"I'm sorry," I try to apologize again, but she just continues to ignore me. But I won't let her go, I can't, "Maxine? Maxine will you please talk to me? Hear me out."
"Please stop following me," she says to me once again, this time angrier then the first, "What don't you understand that I don't want to talk to you right now?" And with she walks away to her final class for the day. It takes all my strength, but I manage to stop following her.
She's mad at me. She needs time to cool down.
All throughout eighth hour all I think about is how big of an idiot I am and Maxine. I offended the only girl I've ever loved and now she hates me. How am I going to fix this?
The bell finally rings, and I quickly gather my stuff and walk to my locker, hoping I'll see Maxine on my way there. Sadly I don't though, and I exchange my stuff before heading out of the school and to my motorcycle in the parking lot. Jacob's is still sitting next to mine, but I don't wait for him. I hop onto my motorcycle, kick up the stand, turn it on, and drive away faster then I should really be going.
My mom should still be at work, so I drive along the road before stopping my bike along the side of the road where I usually do. I walk into the woods, my hands in my front pockets, my phone in my back one. I go to the usual spot, but Seth's not there. I take out my phone and type in his number, holding the phone up to my ear.
He answers on the third ring, "Hey Em, what's up?"
"Where are you?" I ask, "We always meet up in the usual place after school."
"Yeah sorry, I forgot to tell you," he says, and I swear I can hear the sounds of waves in the background, "I'm actually at the beach right now with Maxine."
"Maxine?" I stutter, my mouth becoming very dry.
"Yeah, I thought I would show her around since she's new and all," he says nonchalantly, and I feel like ripping his head off. This was the first time I've ever been generally mad at Seth.
"She's been to that beach before, she knows her way around," I spit through my teeth.
"Calm down, Em," he says calmly, "What's going on?"
"Nothing," I mumble hanging up the phone and shoving it back into my back pocket.
I feel a surge of power go through me and before I can stop myself I throw my fist against a tree, part of it falling over and landing on another tree. I immediately recognize it as the tree I fell off of when I was eight, still standing strong.
Don't even think about it, Embry. Don't make another stupid mistake. What if you fall again? What if you get stuck and panic? I wouldn't panic though. I know better than to panic in a crisis situation.
I walk up to the tree and set my hands on two of the pegs and my foot on another, lifting my body up. A surge of pain goes through my hand, but I ignore it and continue climbing. I'm climbing the tree peg by peg getting higher and higher as I go. Memories of myself climbing this tree eight years ago flash through my brain with each new peg I reach, and I use that as motivation as I reach the place where I fell and stop. The amount of pegs I can use are limited, but I soon figure my way around the area. You see now that my arms are longer I can reach higher for another peg and lift my body up using only pure strength. Sweat is running down my face and back, and I have to stop so I can wipe the back of my hand across my face to remove some of the moisture.
Soon though, I'm at the top of the tree, and I turn my head to look at my surroundings. I can only see the tops of trees and First Beach in the distance. I can imagine Seth and Maxine sitting there now laughing and talking to each other about God knows what. Anger rises in my veins, and I quickly turn my head away from that area. The sun is just starting to set, and I soon realize how long I've been out here.
With caution, I make my way back down the tree and soon my feet hit the leaves on the ground, the sound of crinkling filling my ears.
A surge of accomplishment goes through me, a huge smile on my face. Finally I climbed that damn tree. I tighten my hand into fists and pain goes through my fingers. I take a look at my fingers and find my knuckles bleeding and sprained. I must have not have noticed it before. I don't worry though because I know they will be healed in probably five minutes. The perks of being a wolf. The perk of being a wolf more like it.
I sink to my knees, my hands clutched in tight fists at my sides. I put my face into my hands. I'm breathing harder than usual. I feel as though I felt when I first transformed: sick and out of control. Sweat is running down my forehead and off the tip of my nose. How can I go from feeling so accomplished to complete emptiness?
When I close my eyes recent thoughts of Maxine swarm under my eyelids. I imagine what it would be like to hold her in my arms and never let her go. I imagine what it's like to place my lips against hers and kiss her till we're both out of breath and are forced to pull away from each other. I imagine what it's like to twine my fingers in her hair and stroke her cheekbone with my thumb.
My eyes fly open, my cheeks burning. She's mad at me, and I don't know how I'm going to solve this. All I know is that from this day forth I will do anything and everything to please and protect her.
I hope you guys liked that chapter :))) A lot of people thought that what Embry went through in the beginning was from a personal experience, but no, nothing like that has ever happened to me. Just something I whipped together last minute because I thought it would be a cool character building moment. I hope you guys liked it and don't forget to leave a comment or check my profile for further places where you can see what I'm up to and such. Thanks for reading, it means a lot :)
-Sofia