Layla's Pov
Jacob dropped me off at Moon Ranch. He made me promise to get some rest, and if I heard anything back from Brianna that I should tell him right away.
That wasn't a hard promise to keep.
I dragged my feet across the floor, calling for Syd, but he didn't seem to be in the house. Setting my things down, I headed outside for the repurposed barn next to our house.
Grandpa was there cutting leather for his latest project. Syd waved me over for a hug, happy to have me home. He showed off his finished masterpieces hanging on the back wall, waiting for the final stain.
Syd was good at making things with his hands. Horse saddles, satchels, bags, and belts. He showed me how to use his leather press and to switch out the designs. Like a gaint metal-embedded stamp clamp.
"Make sure you watch your fingers and line it up correctly." He instructed. I switched the pattern out for him, watching him work on a belt.
"You only have one shot with the correct amount of pressure. The press isn't forgiving, but the leather can be treated and stretched." Syd explained.
An idea struck me when I caught sight of the scrap pile in the open stall by his feet.
"Do you mind if I use the scraps to make something?" I asked him.
"Sure, but you should get some rest, Kowlieshkah," Syd mentioned, running the finished leather strap through his hands.
"Right." I yawned, looking longingly over at the leather scrap heap. It was midday, but Syd was right, I should rest.
I returned to the house for a quick nap, thinking about what I could make Jacob from leather.
I woke up the next morning to gravel crunching outside and swung my limbs up feeling like they were full of lead.
Peering out my window, I panicked. It wasn't Syd's truck leaving for work. It was Jacob returning my car.
I hurried to get ready.
"How are you feeling?" Jacob had let himself in while I was stuffing random items from the fridge in my school bag.
"Fine." I felt him pick something off my back with a tug. The tags must have still been on. I was wearing the same clothes as when I fell asleep.
"Have you heard from your friend yet?" He asked warily.
"No, not yet. Ashely hasn't picked up either. I've been thinking about reaching out to Liam, though. Only to see if they made it back to LAX." I amended.
"Why would you need to reach out to your ex-boyfriend?" Jacob hedged.
"Um, he was at the rave the other night," I answered gingerly.
Jacob was tight-lipped, waiting for an explanation.
"I didn't know he was going to be there, okay? It was supposed to be a girl's only trip." I flung my backpack over one shoulder.
"Then why'd he show up?" Jacob shut the door behind us a little hard, making the frame tremble.
"Who knows, and who cares? I hung out with Brianna and the band we came to see." Small inklings of Saturday night had come to my recollection, but not everything.
"Does that mean you remember?" Jacob inquired pressingly. I shook my head no.
"Up until we left the rave. Then it's a big fat blank." My head throbbed painfully if I tried to recall anything else.
"We need to get going, or we'll be late, Jake."
Monday was mundane. The overcast sky was a silvery grey color, amplifying the greenery of the ground. It made me want to skip class and explore the woods.
If only I didn't still feel like walking death. I've never been this hungover before.
I questioned my humanity and whether or not I would ever drink again.
Students in the parking lot whispered and turned to watch Jacob and I leave the same vehicle.
As we walked up the front steps together, Jacob snaked a hand around my waist.
I thought their attention was odd. Jacob has walked me to class abunch of times. What was strange about that?
A moment later it clicked. Wait, did they think we were an item?
I realised this might be the first time we've driven to school together instead of from.
I groaned.
"You sure you're okay? We could stop by the nurse, or I could drive you back home." Jacob asked attentively.
"No, no." I shook my head, proceeding forward, favoring my left foot. I've learned to walk light on my feet after a week of this nonsense.
The guys gathered near Embry's locker, but it seemed like they hoovered closer to mine.
"How you doing, Moon girl?" Quil hugged me around the shoulders, and I swear he sniffed me. "Hey!" I griped.
"Nice shampoo." He laughed at my irritated face.
"I'm good. Can you greet me without smelling me? It's weird." I narrowed my eyes at him.
The guys behind him laughed while Embry gave me a side hug. "We're glad you're okay."
My eyes widened, and I pushed him away.
That's right. They know about what happened—more than me.
"Guys," Jacob spoke, interrupting them from harassing me. Meanwhile Tiffany waved me over across the hall.
"See you later, Jake." I dismissed them and went to see what she was up to.
"The theater cast list has been posted! You want to go see?" She whispered excitedly.
"Sure. Do we know what the play is about now?" I linked arms with her so I could walk faster.
On the way, she told me about her lackluster weekend. Tiffany hoped the rain would let up sooner than later so she could have enjoyed a beach day that was still somewhat warm. Apparently, there should be some good seashell finds.
I promised to go with her when I was free.
We entered Mr. Thompson's classroom.
"Here for the casting list? You can't tell anyone about the play or your parts until the posters go up!"
"We promise not to say anything." Tiffany vouched for us.
"Okay, here you girls go." He opened his supply closet, and on the inside was the list.
I gawked, and Tiffany's owl eyes bugged wide. "Very patriotic." I forced a compliment.
"Don't worry, it's a modern spin on the traditional grim fairytale. A murder mystery melodrama! With a touch of tragic romance, of course." He gushed.
"Wonderful." Tiffany croaked sarcastically. I grabbed her shoulders, steering her out.
"Thank you for the preview, Mr. Thompson!" I made my tone bright and bubbly for him.
The opposite of what we both felt.
Once we were a safe distance from his room down the hall, Tiffany let out her frustration.
"He made me an old lady!" Tiffany complained. "I know." I cringed.
"Who made you an old lady?" Paige popped up out of nowhere.
Tiffany grabbed her arm and cupped her hand over Paige's ear for a hushed whisper.
Paige's eyes widened first, and then she laughed at both of us.
"It's not funny!" Tiffany hissed.
"What's not funny?" Embry hung an arm around his sister. He seemed eager to bother her, too.
"Like we're going to tell you." Tiffany shrugged off his arm, and Paige chased after her friend.
"The melodrama starts." Quil clicked his tongue.
I wasn't fast enough to go after them like this, so I shrugged and headed to class.
"What was that about?" Jacob joined me.
"You guys either have super hearing, or you're super nosey." I noted.
Jacob's grinned at that. "Are you going to tell me?" He asked.
"Um, let's just say my dream of becoming anything arbor-trary is far from me now." I laughed at my lame joke.
"Not even the option of foliage?" He laughed.
"Nope." I shook my head with a smile. "Dang."
Later that day, halfway through Economics, I began to feel clammy, and my breaths grew short.
"Are you okay?" Matthew asked, sitting behind me.
"I'm good." I lied. I focused on the teacher, ignoring the weird heart palpations.
"Layla?" Jacob asked from beside me. I focused on my vision, which seemed to double and go back together.
Was I getting sick? I accidentally snapped the tip of my pencil, losing led. I got up silently for the sharpener across the room.
That's when the room flipped.
My back hit the floor, and my vision went black.
"Layla!" Jacob called to me.
"Let's get her to the nurse," Embry spoke up.
I felt my body lift off the ground.
"Teach! Moon passed out." The voices faded.
Jacob's Pov
I didn't give the teacher any time to respond. He'd picked up the desk phone as Embry, and I headed for the infirmary with Layla.
She was spread out on the patient table. Ms. McKenzie was taking her pulse while asking us questions.
"It wasn't a seizer," Embry noted.
"She dropped to the floor," I mentioned. Not that I could tell the nurse her heartbeat was off right before.
"She must have fainted." She spoke to herself.
"Her pulse is weak... Jacob, will you please stop hovering so close? I'm trying to work."
"Yeah, sorry," I shifted my weight from side to side.
Embry gave me a look that made me want to punch him.
"I checked," I grumbled loud enough in Quileute for him to hear. Then he smirked, raising his brows suggestively.
That made me want to punch him more.
Layla gasped, sitting up. "Easy." The nurse helped her up, giving her a cup of ice water.
"You're at the nurse's office," I said for Layla's sake. "What-"
"You fainted, sweetie. Please drink the water and let me prick your finger." The nurse ordered her, then turned to us.
"You two out." She ordered.
I planned to loiter outside the door while Embry returned to class. I planted a good arm punch on him.
"Ouch!" Embry shoved me back.
"Boys!" Ms. McKenzie yelled, hearing us rough house. We separated, and I listened from the hall.
There was a click of a pin and the smell of blood. "You're not diabetic, but your sugars are very low. Have you been eating properly?"
"I forgot to eat dinner, and I was running late this morning. So, I guess I didn't have breakfast either," Layla confessed.
The nurse proceeded to ask questions about her diet.
"Being a vegetarian may not be viable for you. There's not enough variety like where you're from, and with the weather so overcast in comparison, you aren't getting enough vitamin D or iron in your system."
Layla was silent, absorbing the information.
"Please consider a diet change and getting more sun on days like today. I'll be notifying your parental authority in the meantime to monitor your eating habits."
I heard Layla's feet hit the floor.
"Take two more of those juices and drink them. If you pass out again, I promise you won't be waking up here but in the hospital." Ms. McKenzie threatened.
"Got it." She said. Layla stepped through the threshold, unsurprised to see me.
"Want to sit outside?" Layla asked.
Jacob's Pov
We hung out on the school's front cement steps, soaking up the sun peaking through the clouds.
"I don't know why I fainted. It's never happened before." Layla's voice trembled, relaying her thoughts. "Do you think..? Never mind." She downed another mini cranberry juice the nurse gave her.
"Do I think what?" I leaned closer, letting my legs sprawled out on the steps before me.
Layla bit her lip, her eyes started to well up with tears, and her words flooded out in a hushed rush.
"That all these bad things are happening to me because I'm not supposed to be here."
"Layla." I sat up to hug her. She leaned into me, letting a few stray tears escape.
"Of course, you were supposed to come here," I whispered soothingly.
"How can you know that?" She asked voice cracked. I stroked the back of her hair to calm her down.
I was silent for too long. Now didn't feel like the right time to bring up imprinting.
"I'm sorry, Jake." She was beginning to pull herself together.
"I'm just stressed out, and self-pity doesn't help. My mom used to say bad things always happened in threes. So maybe the worst of it is over?" Layla wiped her face, removing some face makeup.
On her cheek, faint blue bruises appeared. I caught her chin to look at it better.
"Jake?" Her blush masked the fingerprint indentations.
"Where'd you get those marks?" I asked more to myself knowing she couldn't recall.
"I must have slept on my face wrong. " Layla abruptly pulled away and stood up.
I grabbed her hand, stopping her from leaving.
"Everything's going to be alright, Layla. I'll make sure of it." I gave her a quick squeeze before I let go.
She smiled down at me. "Sure, Jake. Thanks."
With that, we headed back inside.
Layla's Pov
I waited until Jacob left my side to return to the nurse's office for my keys.
She had confiscated them since my fainting spell, and when I asked for them back to go home early, she refused me.
Ms. McKenzie didn't think it would be safe for me to drive alone today since the cause of my fainting spell was unknown. However, she was leaning towards anemia.
"Would you like me to call Syd again?" She asked.
"No, that's alright..." I wasn't feeling better or worse, but taking the afternoon off to really rest sounded appealing.
"What about your boyfriend? I'm sure Jacob wouldn't mind." The nurse glanced up at me through her red-rimmed glasses.
"He's not my-" Just then, Matthew came in to drop off Elu, who was holding his face.
"Dodgeball." Matt laughed at the nurse's shocked face.
"Doesn't Coach know how many complaints we get from parents about this activity?" She hissed, rushing over to Elu.
I snagged my keys from her desk.
"It keeps most fights at bay so I don't think he'll stop any time soon." Matt shrugged.
Elu whimpered when the nurse wiped the blood from his face.
"It's not broken, just tender." She sighed out of relief. I stepped closer to the door, trying to sneak off.
"Matt? Would you drive Layla home? I'll send an email to your next class." Ms. McKenzie voluntold him.
"Sure, what's wrong with Layla?" He turned to me with a gentle concern on his face.
Great. I didn't need more people involved. Maybe I should have just admitted Jacob was my boyfriend. We could have settled it later on.
"I'll tell you later," I mumbled.
Matt followed me out to my car. "I'm really sorry about this." I apologized.
"It's no problem. Class was getting a little stuffy anyways."
"You mean the escape of the dodgeball firing squad?" I laughed.
"You would know." He chuckled. I winced at that. "Relax, I'll get you home." Matt said.
I got in the car and had to embarrassingly admit to my fainting spell.
"You seem to have a lot of bad luck." Matt pursed his lips.
He was an average-looking guy who seemed to be half Quileute like me. His shoulders were broad like a linebacker, though, so he had to wedge himself into the tiny seat and draw it back a bit.
"Yeah." I was trying not to think about my bad luck. I gave him directions to Moon Ranch, although he seemed to know where it was.
"My dad's bought a few things from Syd's stand at the annual Pow-wow up at Maca." He informed me.
"He's good at making things." I nodded.
We made small talk through the tunnel of trees leading to Syd's place. Matthew frowned before we made it through.
"What?" I asked; I was quickly associating Matt's nature to be a calm one.
"It's true. Your grandfather purchased back the ancient grounds." "Huh?" I asked, not aware of this.
"Our ancestors are buried on the mountain backside, behind the river," Matt mentioned, the one tucked away behind Syd's house.
I must have gulped audibly because Matthew laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm worrying you, aren't I?" He asked.
"Well, you're not exactly comforting me," I confessed.
"I'm sure your grandfather has made an offering to the spirits who reside there." He brushed it off casually.
Syd wasn't super spiritual or religious like my grandma, so I doubted it.
"What do you mean? What should he have done?" I asked in a small voice.
Matthew's lips tightened as if wishing he hadn't said anything. He pulled up closer to the house.
"You know, burn some sage, fan it out from abalone. Pray a blessing, make an offering." He listed off the top of his head.
"My grandmother is technically a medicine woman. She lives with us so we hear cooky stuff all the time. You can ignore me." Matthew waved his hand.
"No, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to scare me." I thought about it. "Yeah, I just wanted to mention it in case you weren't getting enough sleep." He gestured to the dark circles under my eyes.
"I'll talk to Syd to see if he's open to your grandma coming to the riverside. I'm not familiar with all that stuff," I mentioned.
"She'll be thrilled. It would give her a break from sharing tales of old with my brother and me." Matt shook his head humorously.
"Then she's more than welcome to visit the river while Syd's at work." I got out of my Ford Escape.
"What would you like me to do with the keys when I return to school?" Matt asked.
"Oh. You can just give them to Jacob, I suppose." I answered.
"I guess I should have known that." Matthew sighed.
My brows twisted in confusion.
"Aren't you guys dating?" Matt inquired.
My chest tightened with anticipation. I felt like I was treading on eggshells for some reason. "Um, he hasn't asked me yet." I looked down at the ground, blush building.
That was the truth.
He nodded thoughtfully. "Then would you like to go out sometime?" He asked.
I looked up, surprised. My expression made him laugh.
"It's not such a big deal. In this small town, especially on the rez. Everyone's already dated someone, more than once." He explained.
"Really? Huh." Was my brilliant response. I wondered who Jacob had dated. It brought me back to last Friday night outside my window.
"No pressure." Matt waved from the wheel. I nodded in acknowledgment, Jacob consuming my thoughts.
"Take care of my baby for me. No detours." I called to him.
"Not even the convenience store?" Matt sounded disappointed.
"Maybe one stop." I waved back; as a reward for helping me, I thought. Also since I wasn't about to agree on the date.
"No worries."He said.
I watched him ride off. I didn't like seeing my car go, but I felt assured she'd be in Jacob's hands soon.
Matt did give me a lot to think about.
I made my way over to the barn to play in the leather scrap heap and mess around with the press Syd left out.
I thought about all the bad luck I had acquired and how the white fog still claimed my mind, blocking my memory and leaving a residue of foreboding feelings behind, like an impending danger was still present.
A danger I didn't want to reach Jacob.
It was decided. I'd make him a charm to keep the bad luck away.
I rearranged the press settings and went to tinkering.
Jacob's Pov
I was waiting outside of ayla's classroom to walk with her to the cafeteria.
That's when Seth came up to me. "What's up, Jake?" My eyes narrowed over him.
"She isn't in boss." Joseph passed between us.
Before I could ask, Matthew Rivers came up to me. "Layla wanted me to pass these along." He dropped her car keys in my hand and went to walk off.
I grabbed his shoulder to turn him around. He was a sturdy guy, so he only half turned to look back at me. Matt eyed my hand, and his brows lowered.
"Why, what happened?" I asked.
"Calm down, Black. I just drove her home. Nothing's wrong." Matt brushed me off.
He was rubbing me the wrong way.
"Relax, Jake. I'm sure Layla is fine, and I bet she didn't want to bother you." Seth piped up. That's right. The pack mind. So he probably knew what I was worried about. Man, that was annoying.
But Layla promised to let me help. I moved for the exit and drove the Ford Escape back to Moon Ranch.
Ten minutes later, I was on her doorstep.
The front door was locked, and no one answered, so I impatiently climbed to her window.
It was cracked open for fresh air, and there Layla was laid sprawled over her bed.
My frustration fled from me when I saw her face turn toward me, her expression was exhausted.
Layla's breathing was deep and even indicating deep slumber. I cracked the window more to place the keys on her headboard.
Then I turned my body to sit next to her on the roof. I reached in to graze my fingertips along her cheek.
Layla faintly smiled when I did. "Hm, the sun... so warm." She whispered.
I smiled to myself, pleased.
After a while, I gradually removed myself from the ledge to let her rest
Layla's Pov
The warmth had gone, and darkness crept in.
My once sun-filled room and dreamless nap had turned into something else.
Seamless shadows of night had swept in, and the recesses of my mind opened up into a nightmare.
In the dream... I was walking down an elongated stretch of a path. Wet cobblestone sheened under my feet. The more ground I seemed to cover, the longer and narrower the path became.
Because of this, I started running closer, and finally, at the end, I could see a giant metal door with a red light flickering above it.
I slowed my pace, uncertain now. When my hand touched the handle, my heart raced so hard I could hear it pumping in my ears.
'I told you not to come back.' A clear male voice surprised me.
I screamed. The steel trap door dripped with red paint top down, over my hand.
I pulled back to look at my palm sticky with... not paint, but blood.
I gasped mid-scream out of my sleep.
A landslide of clattering pots and pans covered the sound of my voice.
Syd must be home trying to cook dinner.
I flung my blanket off, letting the cold air devour my clammy skin.
I should help him. He's more hopeless than me in the kitchen.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the reflection of nocturnal eyes outside inside the darkness of the tree line.
Jacob's Pov
Sam gathered the wolves with a long howl dispatching an alpha order.
I didn't have to abide by it or any orders since I broke away from the pack this past summer. I stayed on the Moon Ranch instead, listening in on the meeting.
Seth offered to cover me, but I hung back in the tree line by Syd's house.
"Everyone's here and accounted for," Jared noted to Sam.
"Good, for those who didn't know and weren't available yesterday morning: Layla, Jacob's imprint, potentially ran into vampires in Seattle." Sam explained.
"Potentially." I scoffed under my breath. She did run into a bunch of vampires at that rave.
There was a low murmur.
"She's alright, no bite." Quil stuck up for us before I could say anything.
"I need everyone to memorize the scent on this jacket. It's muddled with more than one. Do your best to catch what you can." Sam instructed the other wolves.
"We're going to be on high alert. Like our kind, vampires can't risk becoming known to ignorant humans." Jared began.
"That's right. If Layla somehow escaped them to their knowing, there is a high chance they will likely hunt her down." Sam continued.
"Bringing the bloodsuckers here," Joseph thought excitedly.
"This isn't a game." I shot back.
"That's right." Paul agreed with me.
That was a first. Paul and I agree on something.
"Yes, The more experienced wolves will scout for cold ones on the stretch of land between Forks and Port Angeles. The younger wolves will patrol our lands. Do you understand?" Sam instructed.
I heard the younger wolves whine, wanting to hunt instead of protect.
"Both jobs are necessary. Jared will-" Sam was getting technical about his instructions.
I would do whatever was best for Layla, and to me, that meant sticking beside her until a blood sucker drew near.
"What about on the weekend with your apprenticeship?" Embry reminded me.
"I can skip," I stated.
"Or we can spot you," He suggested.
"We still have human lives up keep. The pack schedule is set. Nothing will get past us." Sam encouraged.
"Yeah, bro. Layla will be safe with us." Seth sided with him.
"We'll see," I grumbled.
The wolves began to disperse with their individual orders.
"This will be too easy." Collins scoffed.
"Don't underestimate our opponent." Sam corrected.
"Yeah, who knows if they have additional powers like the Cullens." Seth's comment sent everyone bristled.
No one had talked about them. Not really. Not since the wedding when Bella decided to become one of them by marrying Edward.
What was of the treaty now? Was it still up in the air? Not that I actually cared, but it was important to know what vampires we could kill and how far we could hunt.
Sam drew a deep breath. From his thoughts, we could see the council decided that since it was an act of Bella's free will to join the Cullens, we could not interfere with them further.
"What does that mean?" I heard a younger wolf, I think Kelle, say.
"Don't ask, don't tell. Huh?" I scoffed.
"Exactly." I heard Embry think.
I also heard Seth having a hard time with this for the opposite reason than the new kids. He wanted to stay allied with the 'vegetarian' vampires. In his book; they were still on the same side.
I could see most of the pack thought it was pointless keeping the Cullens around, but I had to admit it was helpful to have a supernatural doctor when I needed it most.
I heard Sam mull that over. He'd thought about amending the treaty a few times, but the vote remained split down the middle.
That was until now.
With three more freshly shifted wolves upon my return, the number of the pack was odd. Perfect for another vote casting.
"Don't forget Leah," Seth added, not wanting to exclude his sister.
"We know what she thinks." Paul amended.
"No, Seth's right. Next time Leah comes home, we'll cast a vote. Until then, the treaty stands." Sam turned away, releasing the pack.
Author's Note:
Ive been having technical difficulties with this site saving my work/copy pasting from word.
I had to step away for a while due to my frustration of rewriting this chapter over and over again. Sorry about the delay. It wasn't intentional.