Chapter Six: Day with Marie

(Embry's POV)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Twilight Saga, all characters, except Marie, belongs to her.

I left for Forks High a little after three o' clock on Jake's bike. When I arrived many people noticed me and some girls started staring at me. They would look at me and whisper to their friends. If they saw my eyes on them, they would either blush and shy away or give me a flirtatious wave. I just ignored them; I only had eyes for one girl, Marie, but i didn't see her anywhere. I expected to see her with Bella but when I pulled in, Bella was standing next to Edward but no Marie. I wondered where she was when I parked the bike in the empty spot next to Edward's car. From what everyone was saying, there was a fight at lunch. They talked about how two girls were in a fight and one of them was Marie. I hope she's all right, I worried.

"Marie's fine just in trouble. Lauren, a girl that hates Bella, just pissed her off and they both got suspended," Edward explained after reading my thoughts.

"What exactly happened?" I asked curiously.

"Lauren decided to bad mouth Marie, but Marie ignored her. Lauren pulled some of her hair and Marie lost her temper and launched herself at Lauren. Marie knocked both of them to the ground and Lauren tried to scratch her face but Marie twisted her arms behind her back until she was in tears. Bella was right, she is a good fighter," Edward told me.

That surprised me but I guess as a witch, she has to know how to fight, right? Why didn't she tell me last night? Since she's suspended, she must be at her house already then.

"Thanks, Edward," I said.

It felt weird to be thanking a vampire for something. Edward just smirked at my thought as I got back on the bike and left the parking lot of the school. I rode to Marie's house and found her hanging from a tree upside-down.

What is she doing? She must be crazy. I can see it now, Jake and Quil teasing me about having the crazy one. I quickly park the bike and run to her, worried she may fall. Before I got to her, she grabbed the branch and flipped off of it. I put my arms out and caught her as she fell. Marie smiled at me as I held her.

"Did I scare you, sweetheart?" Marie asked with an innocent smile.

"What do you think? I ride up and you're hanging from a tree branch and could crack your head open if you fall. Then you flip yourself off the branch and fall," I told her, trying to act serious but it didn't hold for long.

She cupped my face in her hands and softly smiled at me. I turned and kissed one of her palms.

"Embry, I've been doing that for a couple thousand years and haven't fallen out of a tree yet. I think I will be all right." Marie told me.

I wrapped Marie in my arms and held her close as I began to kiss her. She put her arms around my neck and pulled herself closer to me. She sucked on my bottom lip as I licked her upper lip. I heard her moan and my hands roamed until they held on to her ass.

"Get a room, Embry, not my cousin's front yard," we heard Bella say as Edward helped her out of the car.

"Shut up, Bells, or I'll tell Eddie boy 'bout the last boyfriend ya had," Marie threatened with an evil grin.

I love this girl, she would get along with the pack great. I looked at Bella and Edward and she was blushing a deep red and Edward was confused. I snickered and started kissing her neck as I put her down.

"Close your mouth Bella before ya swallow a bug," Marie yelled with a smirk.

Marie looked around me at the bike. I watched as her eyes lit up at seeing the bike. She must've ridden before.

"I asked Jake to borrow it. I thought you might like to ride," I told her.

"Sure, I used to have one except it was a crotch rocket. They're a lot faster," Marie told me as I got on the bike and she got on behind me, wrapping her arms around me.

"How about you tell me more when we get to Emily's house. That's where the others are," I smiled at her before I started the bike.

"Sure," Marie laid her cheek on my back.

She waved to Edward and Bella as I drove on to the road. I pushed the bike to its highest limit of speed that it would go. Marie clung to me as I began to push the bike to 90mph. I could feel her sweet breath on my back as she breathed. She was calm as I drove into La Push. I pulled into the front yard of Emily's house and Marie hopped off quickly while I parked the bike.

Marie's back was to the house and she faced me as everyone came out to meet her. She looked a little unsure as she gazed into my eyes. I didn't have to be a mindreader to know she was nervous about meeting the pack. This 'custos amator' thing is great because I know what she feels and i can calm her. I probably sound stupid but it's true. I held her face in my hands as everyone was finally out. Emily stood with Sam at the front.

"Calm down, Marie. Everything will be alright," I told her as my thumbs rubbed circles into her cheeks.

"I know, it's just a little problem I have. I get nervous meeting new people," Marie told me as she smiled at me.

Her smiling face almost erased the lines of her scars. I kissed her scars gently then softly kissed her lips. I put my hand on the small of her back and turned her around to everyone. Marie was surprised at everyone already being out here. Emily covered her mouth, seeing Marie's scars for the first time, she looked worried.

Marie gave a shy wave to everyone. They were also surprised by the extent of her scars. They were a lot different in person than in person. Emily was the first to come up and greet her.

"I'm Emily," she introduced and turned to the pack. "That's Paul, Jared, Seth, Quil, Leah, and you already know Jake," Emily continued and as she named them off, each one waved.

"I'm Sam," Sam introduced putting his had out for Marie to shake.

Marie shook his hand and smiled. Jake came up and pulled Marie in a hug, lifting her off the ground. She gaved a squealing laugh as Jake lifted her and pound on his back.

"Why are you so excited, Jake? I saw you last night," Marie asked as he put her down.

"I didn't get to really talk to you," Jake shrugged.

"That reminds me, I have a late or early birthday present for you; which ever you consider," Marie said, digging her phone out of her pocket.

"That's not necessary, Marie," Jake said patting her shoulder as we all walked in.

"All right then, I guess I'll keep this for myself," Marie taunted, showing Jake a picture of a fire red crotch rocket on her phone.

"Dude, yeah, I want it," Jake whined and everyone started laughing.

"Good and I got insurance on it but that doesn't mean you can do stupid things on it," Marie told him as I held her on my lap in the living room of Emily's house.

It looks like she will get along with everyone just fine. Paul sat next to me gazing at Marie's scars curiously. I gave a small growl to make him look away. Emily went back to the kitchen and came back with a plate of chocolate fudge brownies. Marie looked at them with a smile and turned to Emily.

"May I have one? They look good," Marie asked.

"Sure, everyone go ahead and grab one," Emily told us.

I grabbed a couple and handed one to Marie. She took a small bite and then devoured the rest. She saw one more left on the plate and went to grab it at the same time Paul did. She smacked his hand out of the way and grabbed it. As she was about to take a bite, Paul went to grab it again. What she did next surprised us all.

Marie bit Paul's hand causing him to pull back quickly. He looked at his hand austonished as it began to bleed. Marie wiped the little bit of blood off her lips and spat into a napkin she had. She gazed at me and then Paul with an apologetic expression. I kissed her cheek and looked at her napkin. In it was her saliva mixed with some of Paul's blood.

"Sorry about that, Paul. I'm just a really bad chocoholic," Marie told him.

"No problem, I just know not to take your chocolate now," Paul snickered. "I was wondering though," he continued and we all knew what he was about to ask. "How did you get those scars?"

We all watched her as she finished her brownie. I've been wondering the same thing. The whole pack has, including Leah which is saying much. She really hasn't cared for anything when she became a wolf. Everyone except Sam, Emily, and Seth has thought of her as a bitter bitch with a black heart. She has made being a wolf, with connected minds the worst thing ever. But now she was interested in Marie's story.

"Well, it's actually a long story because I'll have to tell how I came to be living in Texas," she started and I rubbed her back to encourage her. "In the eighteen-sixties, my family decided to split the countries into territories so we could be more spread out. I took the Southern area because I was hunting a vampire that was creating a newborn army. This was during the Civil War and she had taken my two best friends and my younger sister. My two best friends were officers at the time and were deamed MIAs. I didn't believe it one second so I went hunting for the vampire I knew that took them. She was the only vampire in Texas with two companions, that were making an army," Marie stopped for a second and breathed in a shakey breath before continuing. "I looked for them for half a century and finely my sister found me and she had found her 'custos amator' in one of my best friends. Charlotte is my sister and her 'amator' is Peter. They had escaped and told me my other friend was still with the vampire who I learned was named Maria. I kept searching for her to find my lost friend and this went on for another century. At one point, I had found her a few years ago and this is before Bella lost her memory, it's actually the reason she did. You see, Bella and I, even though we are cousins, we are as thick as thieves," Marie said looking at all of us with a proud smile. "Our parents look at us and say we should have been twins with how close we are."

Leah and Emily looked at each other, probably remembering when they were close like that. The pack was so engrossed in her story that when she paused, we snapped out of a trance-like state.

"Ya'll can't repeat any of what I'm about to tell you to Bella or around the Cullen's. It's not the right time for her to find out," Marie continued.

Everyone nodded and listened to her as she continued.

"Bella and I would hunt certains vampires that had caused grief in our family in some way or form. Our family have made friends with some vampires that have been kind to us. Well, I took a break at one point to do book signing for a book I had written and Bella went with me. I had just gotten home with her and she was going to leave to look for someone...," Marie was telling us until Jake interrupted her.

"Who was Bella looking for?" he asked.

Emily hit him in the head with a wooden spoon, with a scolding expression.

"Sorry for interrupting but I'm just curious," he added.

"It's fine. She was looking for Edward because they had met when he was human. He's her 'amator' and about a year after they met he became real sick and his parents were already dead. He was dying and she didn't look any better but she sat by his side and tried to take care of him. One day I actually got her to sleep and while she was, Edward was taken away and said to be dead. We knew he wasn't dead after three days, we knew he had been changed. She felt the pain from when he was changed and went to search for him. There's your brief story on Bella and Edward's relationship," Marie told us.

I looked toward Jake and his eyes were on the floor, gazing sadly. He had hoped to get Bella to love him but now that was gone. Marie looked at him then at me.

"I'm sorry, Jake, but you can no longer pursue my cousin. She was never meant to be yours," Marie said as she got up and stood in front of Jake, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"In a normal world, she would be," Jake persisted.

"No, Jake, in a normal world, Balle and I wouldn't even be alive now. We're over two thousand years old; we would be dead," Marie said with a finality. "Trust me," Marie said lifting Jake's face with here hands. "There is someone out there for you."

"How do you know, unless you can see the future?" Jake asked.

"Because my grandmother already foresaw my family and Bella's family which included you Jake but not as her lover," Marie said, almost cryptically.

"Then what?" Jake yelled.

I quickly pulled Marie away from him. Sam grabbed his shoulder and ordered him to calm down. Jake eyed Marie angrily as she stared at the floor sadly.

"I'm sorry, Jake, but I can't tell you now. It's not the right time. I'm sorry," Marie said and left my arms, running out the door.

We could hear her crying on the porch. Jake's expression softened and he looked at me apologetically. I eyed him angrily before I ran out after Marie.

"I'm sorry," Jake whispered softly behind me.

I found her high up on a branch of a tree, crying softly. She stared at the sky as a little bit of sunlight peeked through the clouds and shined on her. By the way her skinned shined and glistened, people would think she was an angel but without the wings.

I gasped lightly at her beauty: the soft glitter in her eyes, the gentle glisten of her skin and the silkiness of her hair. It was loud enough for her to hear and she ducked into the shadow of the tree as if she was afraid of me seeing how she looked in the sunlight.

"I'm want to go home, Embry," she whispered sadly, not looking at me.

"Sure, baby. Come on down and I'll take you home," I told her.

I saw her cheeks lift up like she was smiling but I couldn't tell because she wasn't looking at me directly. She jumped out of the tree and I caught her. Emily and Sam came out to say goodbye to her. She hugged Emily before she straddled the bike behind me, wrapping her arms around me. I drove away toward Marie's house with nothing on my mind except to protect and make her happy.