The drive to Sam's house wasn't so much a ride filled with inane awkward silence, as much as it was a ride filled with terribly uncomfortable attempts at conversation; admittedly with 100 % of the effort on Sam's end and not Bella's. They had driven the 32.25 minutes to the house in the woods that Sam shared with his lovely fiancé who Bella had heard numerous stories of; ah yes the tales of Emily's perfection were never far from Sam's lips and therefore never far from Bella's ears.
Bella couldn't help but think that Sam's house would have been the perfect place for a really good serial killer to live; it was close enough to La Push so people wouldn't really suspect anything out of the norm, yet far enough away from anyone so that no one could hear the screams. Also it had this aura of casual perfection that often comes from someone either being an eclectic perfectionist or a psychotic sociopath. Sometimes both.
Not that Bella thought Sam killed people; he did save her and all the good mushy shit that if Bella were the type to dwell on such things anymore, she probably would have. But don't think she is an empty callous person who belongs on reality TV; she isn't empty as much as she is lacking, lacking in genuine emotion, lacking in friends, lacking in everything really. Well everything except time. As Bella sat in Sam's truck she couldn't help but marvel at how she had been so willing to live for eternity, like seriously forever! Thinking about it put her into such an existential state that it made her question herself, not what she was worth but what was time worth. Is infinity worth it if all things were inevitably to come to an end and would she really want to see the ending of all time? Fuck the fact that she was 18 just graduated from high school and had everyone and their mother telling her she had her whole life ahead of her which scared her enough as it is; imagine having forever ahead of you. That would fucking suck! And what about those people who are dying right now at 14, or 18 or 45; people who could actually do something with this fucked up world but can't because of circumstance? What had Bella done to earn the right to live or even to choose the right to live for forever? Looking back living forever and being a vampire was more about living on borrowed time than those with cancer whose the doctors say that same phrase to. God the egocentric worldviews of those fucking monst-
"Bella? You okay in there?" Sam's voice cut off her mental rant, he was looking at her with his signature blend of humor and worry. "We're here you know, what were you thinking about backing out? It isn't going to be that bad I promise!"
Bella wondered why he was making such an effort to her when she didn't make any effort towards him. Maybe she was just a bitch, wouldn't that be neat, she'd never been a flat out bitch before. It didn't seem right though, maybe she should just put a pin in being a bitch for now and try being present, like you know in the moment and out of her thoughts. Note to self: think less. HA as if.
"Ya, no Sam don't worry I'm all good, lets go meet people!" Bella put on what she hoped was a real smile and got out of his truck. Side bar: continuing the thought that Sam might be a serial killer, his truck had a tool box that could fit a decent sized body and the tools needed for murder, it was a very practical choice on his part.
"What's so funny?" Sam asked as they were walking up to his house.
"Oh you know just wondering if you are a serial killer and brought me here to violently maim and murder me." Bella said it as matter-of-factly as she could before breaking out an actual authentic smile.
"There always is that possibility isn't there? Well today you have nothing to fear Isabella Swan, because today there are far too many witnesses." Sam held out the door for her and she began to hear what would go down in history as the most ridiculous argument in the world.
"Birds! You think birds would win? Are you out of your fucking mind Jared?" A familiar voice bellowed towards where Bella and Sam stood in the doorway. On the couch was a tall guy dressed in jeans, a tees shirt and sunglasses sleeping or more likely trying to sleep; because in the kitchen was a small female taking something out of the oven ignoring the two other giant dudes who were arguing at her kitchen table.
"Birds make more sense than fish dumbass" the one on the left who she could only assume was Jared yelled equally loudly.
"Yes fish, have you seen those creepy fuckers? If all the fish fought all the birds you just know the fish would win, its fucking obvious. They could drown the birds!"
"Jared, Embry is right, the fish have sharks and killer whales done and done. Now please can we talk about something else?" the petite women by the stove asked while holding what appeared to be cupcakes sans icing.
"Sorry to burst your bubble Emily but sharks and whales are mammals, so they aren't a part of this argument." The sleeping guy yawn in an uninterested tone.
"Dude you don't even have sharks! How is it you think you can beat my eagles and hawks?" Jared looked far too triumphant for the argument they were having.
Embry looked like he was fishing for some sort of answer and coming up short so Bella, in deciding to be more present chose to pitch in and add her name to this historic event. "I'm with Embry on this one, cause lets face it the birds would get tired flying around and the ones who can swim above water would only get pulled down, and like Embry said drown. Now that the birds offence has taken a serious blow the fish switch tactics and let loose their dogs of war AKA the piranha, who by the way have quite the jump. Now birds are going dangerously extinct and the waters are becoming over populated with fish because let's face it fish are selfish evil little bastards so the penguins decide to finally show up. Now lets say the penguins weren't also douche bags and didn't show up late, the birds might have had a fair chance cause penguins could fight under water, but now the penguins aren't even that mad about all the fish because you know more food for them. So now the penguins are taken out by the very things they call food, and the fish win and the world now has next to know birds because birds are pussies and stay away from water to avoid extinction. Oh and just because they don't have sharks doesn't mean they don't have groupers who are the size of a Volkswagen and eat people."
Bella finished with all eyes on her, and she thought the car ride over was awkward. After a few more moments of everyone processing what she just said Embry ran up to her and gave her a massive hug. "Finally some one sane around here, Bella it is so awesome to see you again!"
"Hold on here, argument not over. How do you know the penguins would show late?" Jared took the one leg he had to stand on.
"Dude, come on they're penguins." The sleeping guy said as he sat up and took off his glasses. He had blue eyes; god is there anything sexier than a tall dark handsome guy with bright blue eyes?
"Fine! You know what fine you win." Jared pouted.
"Say it, you have to say it Jared." Embry demanded.
"Don't do this man, you won now let it go." Jared stood up to go into the living room.
"Say it Jared or you don't really mean it." Embry had a shit-eating grin on his face and an arm slung on Bella shoulders.
"Fuck you. Fine. Fish would win birds would lose. Happy?" He flopped down next to the blue-eyed guy who was shaking his head at his friends.
"Yup. Now Bells you decided to join the pack eh?" Embry guided her into the living room where the rest of the guys were while Sam went over to Emily and did couple things. Like make out.
"The pack?" Bella raised her eyebrows at Embry like he was crazy, granted he probably was, but who calls their friends a pack? "More like a pack of idiots."
The room got weirdly quiet for like a second too long before Sam suggested they get started with the fun and games and brought Bella to the kitchen to meet the beautiful Emily. And she was beautiful, like take your breath away beautiful. There are some people whose flaws make them look weird like a giant nose or ears but Emily had no flaws, she had scars but no flaws. The three scars ran down her face and collarbone in a way that didn't distract from her beauty as much as it added to it and made her look more interesting and striking because of it.
Emily smiled warmly as she pulled that last of what looked like 4 dozen cupcakes out of the oven. "Bella, it is so great to meet you. I swear you are all Sam talks about sometimes, I'd be jealous if he wasn't totally whipped."
Bella laughed to mask her surprise that Sam talked about her. What did he say? How pathetic she was, how he was wasting his time, how she is a child who needs to be taken care of? "Sam literally only talks about you too, I swear if I have to hear about how perfect you are one more time I might shoot him." Emily lovingly looked over Bella's shoulder to the living room where Sam was sitting having a beer with the other three guys. The police chiefs daughter in her was shocked at Sam giving Embry a beer when he was only 17 but the real her, or at least who she was right now simply didn't give a shit. To be honest all those boys looked alike despite their age so who the fuck was she to judge?
"So Emily…" Bella began.
"So Bella," Emily teased with a grin.
"What does game night consist of?" Bella was beginning to get curious, the games were on the coffee table but no one really seemed to have any interest in them. Baseball was on and the BlueJays were winning for a change against the Mariners so that had the guy's attention. Well most of them, the guy with the blue eyes was more interested sleeping at the moment only moving to sip his beer or respond to someone if they asked a direct question.
"Well we say we are going to play games but we usually end up doing this, I've got to tell you Bella it's a treat having another girl around. You have no idea how annoying it is being the only girl in a sea of boys." And Bella really didn't have any idea. It had been so long since she had actually sought out human contact, she couldn't remember being annoyed in such a wonderful way. Fuck she needed a life.
Bella and Emily decorated the cupcakes, in the least imaginative way possible for two reasons: first both of them were wildly inartistic and second they boys were going to devour them anyways so why bother. They chatted about everything, Bella learned that Emily was 21 and worked by selling her baking to people who know her and their friends. Emily learned that Bella was an avid reader and also loved to bake, Emily even invited Bella into her little business endeavor after trying the cookies Sam made Bella bring. Things were normal and it was awesome, so of course it had to end.
The game had ended and the food was finished and ready to eat, Bella had help Emily finish the burgers and Greek salad and grabbed bowls for chips and laid out the cupcakes and cookies on the table. It was a good spread but Bella worried it would be too much for six people, but then again the last family meal she had had other than with Charlie had been with vampires, so you know the portions were a little different.
Charlie and Carlisle both always said grace before their meals; this was not the tradition in the Uley residence seeing as the Quileute worshiped their own gods. They dug into the food and Bella was formally introduced to the guys. There was Sam-obviously and to his right Embry-Jake's old friend, then there was Jared the fool who had believed in birds, and finally Paul AKA blue eyed guy. Paul was sitting next to Bella keeping a cautious space between the two of them, as if he was trying really hard not to touch her. He didn't look at her and didn't talk to her, probably decided she wasn't worth his time; it's not like he was wrong to think that too.
The table had been discussing summer and all the days they planned to spend on the beach, and how Bella just had to come cliff diving with them, and all the bon fires they were going to have and how Jared was going to take up surfing. It was all so normal, too normal, like something that was usually discussed wasn't because she was there. It makes it hard to feel welcome when people are trying to hard and also not trying hard enough.
"So you got dumped." It was the first words Paul had ever spoken to Bella, and honestly he may as well have slapped her.
A chorus of shocked "Paul's" and one "Dude" echoed through the room; Paul paid no attention to them though. Only to her, it made her long for the moments before when he just ignored her request to pass the pickles.
"I asked you a question Blondie." He said to her voice completely unattached "she's pretty rude Sam, don't know what all the hype was about." Paul went back to his food.
"Blondie?" Bella was too confused to even feel hurt. She had brown hair the colour of mud as some toddler had so observantly pointed out two years ago.
"Oh so you can hear me when I say things, good to know." There was something so unnerving and aggravating about it tone. Bella had never met such an abrasive person, and she had been tracked by James.
"Why the fuck would you call me Blondie?" Bella asked, still confused by him. "It doesn't even make sense."
"Well Blondie that's for me to know and you not to find out. Sam I'm out of here, you know where I'll be." Paul said getting up from the table and depositing his plate in the sink. He walked out of the back door with out a look back, though Bella was sure he probably felt their stares after him, well her stare the rest of them acted like this was normal. And who knows maybe it was.
The rest of the table didn't speak for the rest of the meal, it was horrible; Bella was wrecked with guilt for ruining everyone's evening. Ok it wasn't all her fault, so lets put the blame at 70-30 after all she had only just sat there and questioned his naming choice. By the way how rude was Paul? Not because he had insulted her, people are initialed to their opinions but who leaves on game night to go to a bar? At least that's where Bella assumed he was heading.
"So sorry about that Bella, he is the biggest asshole." Emily said while Sam appeared to be calming down. Emily and her had retired to the kitchen to do what little tidying up there was from the meal.
"No don't worry about it its fine, to be honest I probably should get used to that. I have left a lot of people hanging since I moved here, a lot more than I'd probably like to admit." Bella closed her eyes half in shame and half because the sun had come out and was directly in her eyes, as she turned away from the window Emily spoke up.
"Bella it wasn't your fault, you do know that right?"
"Emily how could it not be my fault? They left me, I wasn't good enough, and I was too weak for them. Like yes they are a giant pile of flaming dicks but I'm still at fault here. And Paul you are his friends and I'm the reason he left too."
Emily shook her head, clearly being one of those blessed souls who understood a lost cause when she saw one. Sam called them into the living room, and said quite possibly the worst opening line ever. "Bella it may not have been Paul's fault what happened tonight."
"What?" She was stunned; she had allotted him 70% of the blame for tonight.
"Well kid there are some things you may need to know that I haven't been telling you." Bella wondered if Sam was being the vaguest person in the world on purpose.
"Sam, is this you coming out of the closet?" Embry and Jared both bit out laughs at that one. Maybe in her quest to finding herself, or whatever she was doing these days, she should try being the funny one. Was that funny or bitchy? As previously mentioned, bitchy could be fun.
"Shut up Bells I'm trying to be serious here," his annoyance would have been more convincing if he hadn't been smiling at her. "There are some things I know you know and some things you seriously have no clue on and that I feel we should clue you in on." Sam got up and went to the kitchen and grabbed a round of beer for everyone including Bella. "You may need that."
"Sam seriously though what the fuck is this all about?" Sam sat across from her staring like he was trying to figure her out.
"Fuck Sam this is taking forever, Vampires Bella we know about the fucking vampires." Jared blurted out.
"What do you mean you know about the Vampires." Did they realize how dangerous knowing is, although is ignorance really bliss?
"We know about the undead sparkly bastards that walk around like they are fucking human and we know you dated one of them." Jared was still apparently the spokesperson for team not vampires.
"Jared shut up now. Bella I had hoped to broach this more delicately but I guess that's not fucking happening anymore. We know about them and you're not an idiot so you obviously do too so can we cut the shit and move on." Everyone said sure except for Emily who just watched her drink listening.
"How?" That was all Bella could really think to say, like how did they find out and they were obviously against them and how would they treat her knowing that she had openly and willingly associated with them. And how did any of this explain Paul being a douche.
"Well Bella this is where it gets a little harder to explain, see we are something you might call a werewolf." Sam paused for it to sink in, or dramatic effect.
"Werewolves. Awesome, wait you aren't going to turn me into one are you cause no offense I don't want a tail." Bella tried to make light of the situation but all she could really think was what do they want with her? And when they were done would they leave too?
"The tail isn't actually that bad, it's the fleas that are the real problem." Embry stated like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Walk, I am going to go for a walk and think and process and I am going to go do it alone." Bella stood up and walked out before anyone had time to protest.
Hey people who read authors notes!
First things first a not so secret shout out to the first follower of this story hawiiangrl! Seriously guys I thought no one was going to read this other than maybe my mother if she hacked my email again. So I really feel the love. I hope you all enjoyed this segment of my crazy and had a bit of a laugh, please know I do swear and make fun of things in what is often a cynical way and that I have absolutely no intention of insulting anyone.
One thing I forgot to mention in the last chapter, I obviously don't own twilight (story or time of day) and I don't own any rights to any of the quotes I use in this story. I personally hate reading disclaimers so this my dears is a blanket one. Also on the topic of my last chapter, there were some technical difficulties converting the doc on FF so I reposted it in hopes it doesn't cut out words anymore. Also um dudes 2 updates in two days! Feel spoiled.
Ok I'll let you get back to your lives now. I won't see you and you won't see me but we can read each other's words! Thanks again for your time
-Ty (Not short for thank you but actually my name)
PS. So much for short authors notes eh?