The chase through the forest after a bloodthirsty redheaded vampire was a first for Grace. However, next to Jake she was able to easily recast through the trees and keep pace. Jake was in direct pursuit and told her to flank further to his right to help Paul and Embry intercept. Quil and Jared were cutting harder out and around to his right to try and cut her off. Sam brought up his left flank.
She was winding them through the forest and Grace was trying to figure out a pattern. She could feel the prints the redhead left on the trees around them, cold and shredded bark left in her wake. Paul pulled closer to her as the vampire seemed to change direction, as if on cue, she head Sam's direction in her head and pulled hard right-Jared and Quil pulling back to keep the edge.
But where is she going? Grace thought. Still no discernable pattern was forming, it seemed like the redhead was running aimlessly, toying with them, a cat and mouse game.
At one point during the chase, Jake got close enough to lunge at her but missed and came crashing down a hill. Grace let the wolves know that the hunting party was two miles north and they tried to pull the redhead away, but she continued on.
When she felt the vampire suddenly shoot ahead toward the hunting party, she prepared to recast at least to act as a barricade, but Sam stopped her with a commanding "No!" and she stutter stepped and lost her footing when she connected with the forest floor, coming to a halt and ending in a heap. She groaned and rolled over as Paul's wolf form casually towered above her. He leaned his head down to hers and nosed her forehead. She pushed away his muzzle and got up slowly, leaves tangled in her hair.
Paul's head snapped to the side suddenly and she was able to see that Jake had made contact and intercepted the vampire just as she had reached the hunting party. She and Paul took off toward the tussle that had ended down the hill and across a lower cliff leading to the water.
When they reached Jacob, he was staring out over the cliff, into the water trying to locate her.
"She got away?" Grace breathed. But why? She quickly scanned Jacob's wolf form for any blood or injuries, but he seemed fine, unscathed. His frustrated look could easily be interpreted through his wolf form though and Grace rested a reassuring hand on the back of his head.
Just as Grace breathed a sigh of relief, they heard an obvious splash not part of the waves. All eyes snapped to the cliff where the splash had come from and they saw a head bob above the ways. Grace squinted her eyes and suddenly, Jake was off, bolting along the cliff line toward the figure. Grace's eyes widened in fear.
"BELLA!" she screamed. As she went to recast, Jared came crashing through the trees, she could hear the echo of one name in his mind "It's Harry, Harry Clearwater, Harry, Harry Clearwater. Heart attack, attack."
Grace felt pulled in two separate directions, but she trusted Jake. So she focused on the hunting party that was deeper in the forest and recast just out of their line of sight.
When she came crashing through the woods, frantic, she saw Charlie on the forest floor, cradling a shuddering Harry. She collapsed to her knees next to him and reached both her hands forward to rest gently on his chest. Harry desperately reached out for her clasping her hands in his and pulling her down so he could whisper into her ear.
Grace burst into tears nodding in agreement to his request and watched as breath slowly left him each time and he closed his eyes. Charlie was trying to hold it together next to her but failing. He swung an arm out and reached for Grace, pulling her into him and she let out a wail as she felt Charlie's chest heave.
The wolves were right behind her and phased in the trees before emerging, bare chested and in shorts. Paul pulled Grace off of Harry and wrapped held her tightly in a hug. She tried to regain her breath and felt herself going limp. Charlie stepped back with a hand over his eyes as the rest of the pack leaned over Harry and cradled him in their arms as they marched back toward the reservation.
"Come on," Paul commanded against her ear. He scooped her up and carried her in the direction the pack was headed. It felt like all of the hair left her when Harry drew his last breath and she was acutely reminded of when her father died. She held onto Harry much like she had gripped her father's hand, trying to keep him there with her. When that didn't work, Grace felt her entire body shut down, everything flickered out and she couldn't feel anything anymore. Nothing kept her tethered to this earth and the only way she found relief was to float, limp.
Now, carried by Paul, she fell quiet, her eyes gazing up at the tops of the trees as she heard the birds scatter and cry out as a storm drew nearer. The same storm she had watched wash in on the waves when she spotted Bella's head bobbing above the water and taking off.
"Bella," she croaked, her eyes trying to focus on Paul.
"He got her, don't worry." Paul confirmed, holding onto her a little bit tighter. By the time they reached the treeline, Grace had asked to get down and was walking with Paul's arm looped around her upper back and gripping her waist just under her chest for support.
He steered her toward his forerunner and when he hoisted her in, Grace leaned her head back against the seat with a rattling headache and a cold sweat rushed over her. Paul tried to drive as carefully as possible, putting a hand to her forehead every once in a while. She didn't blame him—she was clearly acting like a woman possessed.
When they finally rolled up to her house, her headache had ebbed to a dull throbbing and the sweats had subsided. She felt off though, cold. When she pushed open her passenger door simultaneously with Paul, she was arrested by a shivering feeling running through her and the rumbling sound grew behind her again. Paul darted around the car and tried to block her from stepping out.
"What? What?" Grace said, exhaustion steeped in her voice but her eyes alert.
"It's a vampire." Paul said, gritting his teeth.
"Okay." Grace said nonchalantly. She felt no clear or present danger, it just felt off. Paul looked at her bewildered.
"Grace, get back in the car." Paul's eyes were fierce.
"Paul, move. If a vampire is here, I need to make sure Bella is okay." She was honestly in no state to confront a vampire but her body was moving of its own volition at this moment, pointing her toward yet another phase of her destiny. To their right, Grace noticed a silver Lexus that she'd never seen before.
"Grace, no!" Paul said as she tried to hop down and around him. He grabbed her upper arm and reached the other toward her waist to spin her to face him.
"Paul. Let. Go." Grace said looking to her arm and then to his face. She glanced back toward the house and saw a flicker of kitchen window curtain. "See? Someone's there. Let me go."
"Yes, Grace a vampire is here. I can smell them. Let me take you back to the rez and we'll check it out with the rest of the pack. Please. Please." he almost begged, but Grace could see that familiar anger start to flush in him as his grip grew tighter on her arm. She set her face in one of determination and tugged her arm away from him as hard as she could.
"Go tell Sam." Grace said as she turned and jogged toward the house. Paul looked after her bewildered and shuddered in rage. She clicked the door behind her before she heard him slam his car door so loud that she knew he put a dent in it.
Cautiously, she looked around the dark house and moved toward the living room. As she rounded the corner to the living room, she let out a shriek and jumped.
"Jake," she breathed out frustrated. "What the hell! Why are you lurking in around in the dark?"
"What are you doing here?" Jake said, alarmed.
"I live here." Grace shot back, annoyed. She heard Bella's voice in the kitchen with another unfamiliar voice and took a stop toward it, "Who-?" But Jake stepped in front of her and put his arm up to blockade her further. "What is it with you guys?" she said pushing his arm aside and steam rolling past him.
"Bella!" Grace said as she bounded into the kitchen. Bella sat with her head in her hands, tapping her foot nervously. Grace crouched in front of her and gently touched her shoulder. "Bella," she said softly. Bella looked up at her through tear stained eyes.
"Grace, I'm so sorry." Bella said. Grace could distinctly feel Jacob's presence lingering in the doorway.
"What why? Are you okay? We saw you jump. You scared the hell out of me," Grace quickly looked over Bella's body to see if she could find any visible injuries, but she seemed okay.
"Bella it's time." a willowy girl with a short pixie cut appeared on the other side of the kitchen. Grace stood up quickly and spun to face her blocking Bella.
"Who are-?" Grace began. Jacob was now clearly standing in the door way off to the side keeping his eyes on everyone.
"That's Alice. Grace I have to go. I promise I'll tell you everything when I get home. Give Charlie this note," Bella crushed a folded piece of paper in Grace's hand and moved around her following Alice who was already out the door and down to the car at superhuman speed. Grace noticed but was already on high alert so she let it go for now.
"Bella, wait," Grace followed close after and made it as far as the steps before Jake caught her around the waist and pulled her back.
"Let her go." Jake said.
"Jake stop!" Grace pulled at his arm but he held her place and looked down at her, tired, sad, pleading. "Bella, WAIT!" she called out still struggling against Jake.
"I love you. I'll come back!" Bella yelled, tears still streaming down her face as if she didn't know if she would come back. As she slammed the door to the silver Lexus, Alice pressed on the gas. Panic, clear and true, rang through Grace and as they sped away, she felt herself recast out of Jacob's grasp and into the street reaching for the car just as it sped out of reach. She stumbled and fell to her knees on the wet pavement.
It was the first time she had managed to recast outside of the reservation, but that didn't matter. The lights of the Lexus were already gone and Grace felt like she just lost a second person for the day.
Jake was on her in a second crouching down and gently pulling her to her feet.
"Why did you do that?!" Grace screamed, shoving Jake away from her as far as she could manage.
"Grace," Jake pleaded emotion tinging his voice, "She wouldn't listen, I already tried. Come here please."
"Leave me the fuck alone, Jacob." she screamed, furious, crushed, still clutching the note Bella put in her hand. She jogged back into the house and slammed the door shut sliding down the back of it and shakily opening the letter.
"Dad, Please don't freak out and please don't blame Grace. I had to go see Edward. Alice is with me. I'll be home in a few days. Love, Bells."
So that was it. Edward. She went to see Edward. She pulled out her cell and hastily texted Bella
SMS Text—8:52 p.m.
Please tell me what's going on. I know you're going to see Edward. Be safe.
Grace pulled herself off the floor and up the stairs and collapsed on her bed in a heap without changing.
Grace woke to a knock on her door. Charlie.
He peeked in at her and looked at Bella's vacant bed. Grace groaned, rubbing her eyes.
"Jake's here." Charlie said.
"Charlie, I really can't, not right now," Grace pushed her head into her pillow, the note crinkling underneath. Realization shot through her.
"I really think you should, he looks really torn up." Charlie suggested. Grace let out a muffled sigh in her pillow and then sat up.
"I'm not going downstairs."
"He has legs." Charlie joked. Grace through her head back and shut her eyes tight.
"Fine." Charlie nodded and left the door ajar while he descended the steps. She heard a brief mumbling and then steps ascending. Jake gave a soft knock on the already open door and took a tentative step through.
"Grace, let me just explain." Jake was looking worse for wear. He had dark circles that looked like he hadn't slept in days. His hair was disheveled and his clothes looked like he had been rolling around on the forest floor.
Grace stood up silently and rummaged through her dresser, setting the note on her desk. She pulled out some thin sleep shorts, an oversized t-shirt, and some underwear. She walked past Jake and motioned to her bed.
"Wait here." And then she left for the bathroom, turning on the shower and taking off the sweat drenched, dirt clad clothes she had fallen asleep in. The hot water felt good and she needed to keep her head on straight. Jacob had this tendency to make Grace forget whatever she was feeling in exchange for his immense warmth and comfort. She believed she'd agree to anything if he looked at her a certain way. That was dangerous for her. She wasn't letting him leave without answers.
She took her time in the shower, hopefully making him sweat a little bit. When she finally reappeared in her bedroom doorway, hair wet, Jake sucked in a deep breath. She grabbed her desk chair and placed it in front of him interrogation style and sat in front him with her arms crossed.
"Okay, go for it." Grace exhaled and leveled him with her best discerning stare.
"The Cullens are vampires." Jacob let out.
