Layla's Pov
Jacob didn't come back from Sam's last night as he promised.
Billie and Rachel both apologized on his behalf when Syd and I left, but it still made me anxious.
I had poured a piece of my heart out in front of this guy. Then he goes and disappears.
"You're going to love Downriggers. We meet up there for Sunday brunch all the time. You'll get to meet Mrs. Sullivan and..." Aunt Mel had picked me up for early morning mass. I'd skipped too many weekends for one of our 'girl' outings.
The double-wide wooden doors opened for us. As we entered, the atmosphere was quiet and dimly lit in the short entryway. Dozens of empty candles were spread across tables, waiting to be lit and prayed over in the corner crevices.
I never claimed to be a Catholic. Nor would I call myself religious. However, I did believe in the higher power.
The spacious sanctuary was simple, with tall stained glass windows and an eccentric ceiling.
I half smiled at the faces that seemed familiar. While Mel tapped her friends on the shoulder and hugged them silently.
A familiar red, frizzy head caught my attention.
"Iris," I whispered.
She quickly adjusted herself, hiding an article under the Bible on her lap.
"Layla?" She seemed surprised to see me.
I moved to sit next to her.
"Is your attendance required?" I whispered with a smirk.
"Yes. Agnostic since birth, but my mother will probably drag me to confirmation classes, then the weekly potluck, and if I'm lucky, I'll get some free time after dinner..." She was shushed by her mother, who sat back down in our pew.
"Oh! You have a friend. Apologies, Mrs. Turstin." She spoke with an Irish accent, and I shook her hand.
I ripped off a corner of my notebook paper from my purse and wrote a note, 'Then would you like to join us for lunch after? We could drop you off at home early.'
'Absolutely.' Iris eagerly responded.
My plan worked. Mrs. Turstin seemed more than happy, even desperate, for Iris to join us. Aunt Mel encouraged us to walk down Main Street so she could finish speaking with a friend. Iris mentioned a used bookstore she frequented, so we headed there. It was a weathered blue building, repainted with peeling paint from the salt air.
Iris muttered to herself excitedly about a book she was looking for. As we passed the front desk, a woman with long silver hair stamped the inside cover of books fresh out of a box. Her smile crinkled from under her thick, white, rounded-framed glasses at us.
"My name is Jaclynn. Can I help you girls?" She asked.
Iris ignored her bee-lining to her favorite section.
"We're good," I answered, following Iris at a distance. I didn't want to crowd her, so I slowed to read the titles before me.
I picked up a few read for book club and picked out an appealing cookbook to help Syd, and I survive.
"Find anything good?" I rounded the shelves to find Iris on the floor, like a dragon with her hoard, sorting through thick volumes of text. Ranging from science fiction to theology. One of my books slipped from my arms and plopped next to her, making her jolt startled. I guess she didn't hear me the first time. "The grim catalog of fairies and monsters. Nice. I have a Celtic book of werewolves at my house for our October reads." Iris stood up, brushing dust off.
The look of utter satisfaction on her face made me laugh. I've never seen Iris this elated.
I giggled. "Right, lunch." Iris stood up, stacking her pile.
"I think Mel forgot us entirely. She's always been a chatterbox." I pointed at the clock. If it was correct, we'd been in here almost an hour.
"I'll just tell her you have a ton of homework so you can get home."
"You sure?" Iris raised her brows. " Unless you like seafood." I shrugged.
"No, thank you." She cringed. "Me neither." I picked my book off her stack, and we waded to the front of the shop.
"I don't understand the need for excessive tartar sauce and grease," Iris answered as we checking checked out.
I called Mel to let her know where to pick us up.
"Tell me. Why'd you help me out? I'm not complaining or anything, but..." Iris and I waited on the curb with our heavy books in our arms. The fruit nut owner didn't believe in plastic bags, so we carried them in the spritzing rain.
"We can't be friends?" I questioned.
"Right." Iris scoffed a sarcastic laugh. I looked away, disappointed.
"You're serious." She stated. "Why not?" I questioned genuinely.
"Come on, you're..." Iris eyed me up and down. I adjusted my pale yellow sun dress self-consciously.
"You and Mason seem like you're a couple in your world so." She shifted her weight to accommodate the books.
I laughed at that. EJ was the only charming one of our duo.
"EJ and I are just friends. We're both new to the area, so we hit it off. He told me about your book club, you know." I confessed.
Her expression softened. "I see."
Mel pulled up then. We scrambled to get in before the spritz turned into rain and made small talk with my Aunt, who dominated the conversation until Iris was dropped off at her house.
"Maybe, if you're up for it, you could come over sometime." Iris ducked out of the car.
"I would like that." I beamed at her. It was nice to know one more person outside the village.
Jacob's Pov
Hunting the new bloodsucker took all night and this morning. It was another one, unlike the photo.
This one was slick. Creating false trails and dead ends. The thing scaled a narrow pass in the mountains to evade the fastest of us. We could only climb so high without fear of falling onto sharp peaks.
Sam called us back to regroup in La Push and decided to switch out the patrol. "Let's go back to protecting our borders. We can't get out of formation and leave an opening like this." He said. We lost sight and scent again, so I guess it didn't matter what we did at this point.
Soreness hit me as I shifted back. I felt like I would collapse if I didn't eat something soon.
"Sheesh. Didn't get him?" Paul acknowledged. He was taking my place on patrol.
I didn't answer. I was peeved that I had to leave Layla for a misguided goose chase. I ripped open the elk jerky bag on the counter and stuffed my face. I should have hunted in wolf form. Dad was about to have an empty fridge.
I went to call Layla in the midst of pigging out. My finger froze over the dial. What was I going to say? Sorry, I ditched you. I was out hunting vampires.
I wanted to be by her side, but I didn't want to make her more scared than she already was.
"Why not tell her you were working on Sam's car, and he had to have it done before work?" Rachel noted heading out. No doubt about another grocery hall. She was always the smart one.
"Layla took back her car from your shed, by the way." Rachel stuck out her tongue, skipping out the door to shove it down Paul's throat one more time.
"Thanks, Rach." I went to get cleaned up, leaving a mess of food containers in the sink behind me.
I brought my bike to life and geared it for Syd's place to convince Layla to let me fix the brakes before she took off somewhere outside the village.
Walking from out behind the house was Layla, beautiful, in a soft yellow dress and messy hair cascading out of whatever updo she had it in previously. Her white sweater draped sloppily off her shoulders as she walked.
Layla was laughing at something.
Matthew rounded the corner after her, carrying his sopping-wet sneakers. Ruining my vision of her.
What was he doing here? I drove up to them, purposefully revving to gain her attention.
Matthew glared at me. Layla frowned just after I caught the interest that sparkled in her eyes. That made me grin.
"See you, Layla." Matt departed in his car with an old lady waiting inside.
"What's up?" I rolled my bike over to park in the grass. Layla waved them off and then turned to me.
"You should wear a helmet. I know you have one." Layla chided.
"It was a quick trip. What's going on with Matt?" I couldn't not pry.
Layla pursed her lips as if debating to tell me.
"Look, I'm sorry about last night..." I proceeded to use Rachel's excuse for me.
Layla uncrossed her arms. I wasn't sure if she bought it, but she went along with it.
She tucked back some hair that was stuck to her face. We walked far from the house and towards the barn since the sky was spitting.
The smell of leather and tobacco swirled the air where Syd had been working. This must have been where Layla made my trinket.
"Matt's grandma is a medicine woman. She came by to bless the land and the river flowing behind the house." Layla adjusted her sweater and buttoned it in place.
"Oh, did Syd ask for that?" I questioned. Layla shook her head.
"No, I did." She ran her hand along leather strips hanging from beams. They looked like unfinished belts.
"Why?" Layla didn't seem like she was a superstitious person.
"I thought it was a good idea, just in case." Layla looked away when she said this.
A habit I observed when she didn't want to say something.
"In case of what?" I pushed. She stopped to stare out the other end of the barn as if expecting something to be there.
"You'll think I'm crazy or uber paranoid." Layla dismissed herself. "I won't. Promise." I assured her.
She held her core tightly and shivered lightly. I stepped closer to wrap an arm around her. Layla's gaze dropped to the floor.
"You can tell me," I whispered lowly. She sighed, taking in a breath before speaking.
"Remember the night Syd called your place? About the random stranger on the property." I nodded.
"I was here working on your charm when I saw a figure in the dark." She pointed where she was staring off before.
"It called to me." The hairs on my neck stood on end. I thought about the first bloodsucker we killed.
"I didn't see it clearly, but it knew my name." She looked up from the dirt. My grip on her went rigid.
"I'm not sure what it was, and with the dreams I've been having this week..." "What dreams?" I question with concern.
She leaned her head into me for a moment, then pushed away. "Nightmares, that don't make any sense."
"What were they about?" I followed her back towards the house. "Nothing much." She brushed it off.
I stopped her from walking away. The misting rain resurged around us, creating a most. We stepped under the overhang by the front steps.
"Humor me." I wanted to know. The more information I knew, the better I could hunt what was haunting her.
"Like I said, it doesn't make sense. It shouldn't bother me, but the dream is this...
I'm walking down a dark alley at night. It's raining. The cobblestone path slopes down towards a door. The light above me goes out, and a red one turns on, revealing a door. What feels like the only door. It's locked, and then..."
"And then?" The hairs on my arm prickled.
Layla bit her lip. "A voice says, 'I told you not to come back.' Sometimes I hear screams on the other side of the door, and other times I don't, but the dream always finishes with red paint dripping from under the door." Layla's face twisted in displeasure.
"Weird, huh?" She forced an uneasy smile. "Yeah." I didn't like the sound of that.
"We'll, I've got to change and get some homework done." She excused herself. "You know you can always call me when you can't sleep." I offered.
"Thanks for not calling me crazy or taking me somewhere with grippy socks." Layla teased. "Of course not." I chuckled.
I gave her a tight hug, inhaling her honeycomb and floral scent. I could hold her here forever, but I had to let her go inside.
Layla's Pov
That evening, EJ texted me asking me when I could meet with him. He wanted to share something important but refused to say what over the phone. We settled on our usual Wed meet-up after club hours, but I could tell he wasn't sure about that and maybe wanted to see me sooner.
I wondered if it had something to do with his family. Or if he found something out about his dad.
Drowsily, I dawned on my pajamas and braided my hair. In my bed, I scrawled in my journal the happenings of this week until I fell asleep.
Dreams came to me unexpectedly and immediately.
I was running in the woods. Blurs of fur on either side of me darted along my path as if to obstruct me as I sprinted from the sparse spruces of La Push to the evergreens of Forks. I was abnormally fast out maneuvering what was chasing me.
"Layla! This way! Where it's safe!" EJ was barely visible amongst the sea of ferns on the side of the highway I needed to cross to see him.
He darted away before I could answer him. I chased after EJ, afraid he'd get lost if I didn't reach him.
Wolves stopped in a line across the road I was on. I stepped across the invisible barrier, keeping them at bay. They growled defensively.
"I'm sorry." I apologized to them. Although I didn't know why, and ran into the woods anyway.
I continued for EJ, getting lost myself.
I finally found him in a meadow. It was so beautiful I could cry. He stood there, back turned towards me.
"What I show you, you can't you see. And if I tell you, I can't promise you'll live. Either way, Layla...you're life's in danger. I thought you deserved to know." EJ's bright green eyes glowed against the graying sky.
Winds picked up, and the meadow grew dark and grotesque.
"I don't care! I want to know." I found myself shouting about the storm rolling in.
"I want to help you, EJ. Tell me." I pleaded.
His expression melted into sorrow. "No. This is about you." With the sudden dropping sensation, I jolted awake.
Sitting up, I scribbled my dream and shut my journal to slide it back into my headboard.
"That was peculiar." I shut my light off and dove back into bed. When I went to pull my curtain, I saw a familiar wolf in the yard.
The reddish-brown one sitting dutifully back turned to the house. I buried myself in the sheets, watching him until I fell asleep again.
That coming week, I had difficulty sleeping. The dream with EJ didn't return. However, it did plague my mind more than the reoccurring nightmare of that cobblestone street from last week; it was as if talking about it to Jacob permitted it to stop replaying, but the knowledge of it reigned in my brain.
What did it all mean? If it meant anything.
By Wednesday, I was at my wit's end. The impatience to see EJ hopeful, happy, and naturally inquisitive instead of the dread in the dream made me jittery.
Just three more hours. I thought to myself. My leg bounced in a quick, quiet rhythm.
Jacob's hand on my thigh stopped my heel from tapping the tile. My face flushed instantly. "What are you-" I started.
"What's wrong? You look like you're about to jump out of your skin." Jacob whispered.
I took a breath, not realizing I was holding that too. "I can't sleep. I need to keep moving, or I'll dose off." I whispered, missing the warmth of his hand when he sat up straighter.
"Same one?" He whispered. I looked at the biology teacher mid-lecture. There were more notes I needed to take down.
"Yeah." I breathed out the lie. I didn't want to bother Jacob with this. This is something I had to find out on my own.
The hour finally arrived for me to leave. I pushed through the crowd for my car in an attempt to beat the traffic before it started.
I slammed on the brakes while pulling out of the space when two other cars decided to do the same. The squeak from my car evaded them from colliding as well.
Someone knocked on my window, making me jump. It was just Jacob. "Yes?" I asked, unlocking the car for him to get in.
"I bought the brake pads." That sounded more like an order than a suggestion. He's been bugging me about that for days now and kept tabs on wherever I went since Sunday. "Jake, no. I'm taking it into Dowlings this weekend." I improvised.
"And pay an arm and a leg when you have a free mechanic." Jacob looked at me with disbelief.
I rolled my eyes. It was nothing against his skill. I had a new personal rule. No free favors from Jacob Black, and if I caved, I would make myself pay him back in any way I could.
"If you're that worried, I'll have Bob look at it when I'm done." He specified as if I'd comply.
"I don't have time for this, Jake. I have to be in the FHS library in twenty minutes."
"Please, I don't feel comfortable with you driving it as it is." Jacob insisted.
That made me think twice. "Can't you practice on someone else's car? I can't be late." I complained.
"I'll give you a ride on my bike." He asked me archedly. After seeing his Harley and him in action on it, I've wondered what it would be like on the back of it since. There were few warmish days left until the bitter cold wouldn't allow it. "Okay, fine." I agreed.
I re-parked in his workspace with a loud squeaking sound. He whipped out his skull cap helmet, making a show that he was wearing it this time.
I rolled my eyes, sliding my latest essay into my purse leaving my school bag behind.
He yanked off a dirty blue tarp, revealing two dirt bikes. One red and the other blue. They looked old and mostly unused.
Jacob handed me a shiny red helmet. "It's the law." He mused. I grinned, taking it upon my head. It was a little loose, so he tightened the base for me.
"You're finally getting your wish," I noted, adjusting my cross-body purse. And I was getting out of the date through a loophole.
"One of 'em." Jacob revved the bike to life and patted his leg for me to hop on the back. I looked down at my healing ankle and back up.
"Right," He leaned the bike so I could get the leverage I needed. I climbed on and perched on the end, adjusting my feet. Finally, I wrapped my arms around Jacob's waist.
"Hold on tight, and lean with me into the turns," Jake instructed.
"Okay." I knew how to ride a dirt bike, so I got the gist of the motorcycle dynamics.
He took off slowly until he got on the road. I laughed when he sped up. The exhilaration was spontaneously exciting. I only had his torso to hold onto.
I was thankful to be wearing a helmet to hide my face. I could feel the lines of his abs and the tightness of his core from over his T-shirt.
Jacob laughed when he caught our reflection on the side of a truck. I looked like his bobble-headed backpack.
He took off faster again, weaving through cars.
"Show off," I grumbled, having to grip tighter. My hands slipped to his hips dangerously low; I slid my fingers back onto the sides of his belt loops when I could.
"Sorry." I apologized. He said nothing, continuing at the same speed until we arrived.
Jake helped me dismount by leaning the bike again. I untangle myself sheepishly. My fingers got caught in his belt loop. They were frozen from the wind chill.
"I'll have to get you some gloves." He held them in his hands to warm them up.
"Call me when you need me to pick you up," he spoke, looking into my eyes.
"I will." The helmet muffled my voice.
The book club was just getting started when I snagged a seat. I glanced around to see that EJ was missing. My stomach sank.
"Where's EJ?" I whispered to Devin next to me. "Ah, little dude went backpacking with the fam."
Disappointment wrenched my gut.
After some time, I looked down at my cell phone to see EJ had texted me last minute while riding with Jake. 'Sorry, Layla, Godfather is taking me hiking. Let's meet up this weekend.'
I sighed, giving the discussion my full attention. Towards the end, I texted Jake to pick me up.
Iris gathered the papers and submitted them to the drop box on the way out as I walked with her.
"No EJ?" Iris asked. I tried not to show my dejection. I shook my head.
"That's too bad. You guys always hang out after, huh." "Sort of." I shrugged.
"Why don't you come over to my house instead?"Iris invited.
Jacob was already waiting on the curb with a victorious smile on his face. My answering smile pulled up immediately in response.
"Whose that?" Iris looked concerned. I guess his size was intimidating, but I was getting used to it.
"My ride. How about tomorrow?" I skipped down the steps.
"Sure. I'll text you!" Iris tipped on her toes to watch us take off.
Jacob took a scenic route back to La Push. Stopping several times for the sunset views along the coast. It was incredible.
He put up with my picture-taking and volunteered to snap some of me for Ashely, which ended up being pictures of us because he didn't want me too close to the edge of the drop-off. When he drove us back to his place, the clouds started to roll in off the sea onto the mainland, making things colder. I hugged his core, pressing my front completely to his back, totally content with our mini excursion. The ocean's brine mixed well with the smell of the coming storm, and the woodsy scent radiating off Jake burned a memory into my brain. I hoped to always cherish this moment.
I had to remind myself that this wasn't a date and I shouldn't be this happy. We were back to business in his makeshift garage, where my car sat in the middle.
"Billie made me do homework. So, I only just got started on your brakes. It will be a few minutes. Is that cool?" Jacob informed me. I opened my mouth to argue when Embry came in. I warily watched him.
"Bad timing?" He asked, glancing from me to Jake.
"I was about to begin a payment dispute. Since convincing Jake not to work on my car seems to be impossible." I explained that he wasn't intruding. Having someone here let me have the reality check I needed to disperse the date-like atmosphere.
"By all means, don't let me stop you then. I'm sure he could 'work in' some discount." Embry grinned at Jake.
"Can you see if Rachel left out any snacks?" Jacob asked me. "Yeah, sure." I left them on my new task.
Embry had joined me not long after. "What are you doing?" I asked, wondering why he wasn't hanging out with Jake.
"I need to speak with Paul about something." He casually responded. That reminded me Paul was a part of their gang, too.
"What's up?" Embry noted the disengaged expression on my face.
"I wish Jake would leave my car alone. Not everything is his personal project." I muttered.
Embry slowed his steps in a measured way. "Listen, Layla. This is just a hunch, but I think this is more than Jacob wanting to mess around with cars. You should let him help because he cares." With that Embry departed towards the driveway.
I paused before parting up the wooden incline into the Black's house. Out on the table was an unfinished scrapbook Rachel dug out.
It looked like she was working on it. Being nosy, I took a peak without her presence. It was a picture of them and their mother, Sarah, who looked so beautiful. Long, straight, dark hair and eyes were a warm brown. The light of Sarah's eyes was unmistakably kind, and her children inherited her cheeky smile.
The open page beside that was her eulogy clipped from a newspaper. 'In loving memory...' she had died in an automotive accident. The air left my lungs, and I shivered violently.
"Layla?" Rachel asked. "Jacob sent me on a snack run," I explained my intrusion.
"He never cleans up after himself out there. Tell him if he wants food, he needs to come inside," Rachel informed me.
I turned to brave the cold, wet, weathered walk back when she caught my shoulder. I thought Rachel would say something for peeking at her unfinished scrapbook.
"You're soaked. Let's find something dry for you to change into." She suggested dragging me to the back of the house.
Rachel took my wet clothes and tossed them in the dryer. The bathroom was occupied, so I used Jacob's room to change.
I pulled up the pair of old gym shorts she gave me and turned to greet the mess of his room for everything else. Rachel had become distracted with whatever was burning over on the stove.
I hoped Jacob wouldn't mind the temporary arrangement. I pushed back the hangers, looking for something clean that didn't swallow me up.
I gave up on the closet and tried the dresser drawers instead. I didn't know where I was getting the audacity to rummage through someone else's things. That's when I found a note crumpled up in the back of one of the drawers.
Unwading the paper, I thought it was a dryer sheet. I opened it, spilling its contents. It was a letter that looked like it was open and crumpled several times. It was also from a girl named Bella asking to meet with Jake. It was vague, but it seemed like she had upset him and wanted to talk things out. The note couldn't have been recent... Nonetheless, my heart sank. Supposing he had kept this note because it had been important to him.
"You good?" Rachel asked on the other side of the door. I shoved it back where I found it and closed the drawer noisily.
"Yes! Um, still looking for a shirt and some socks." I sat on the bed innocently as if I hadn't just invaded his privacy.
"Okay," Rachel snickered. She didn't seem to mind that I was potentially snooping. But I feared what else I might stumble upon here, so I moved more carefully.
Jacob's Pov
Layla was taking a while. I thought my dad might be chatting her ear off, so I headed up after finishing the front brakes.
Rachel was burning something on the stove, and my dad called for pizza outside. "She's in the back." Paul nonchalantly spoke over his shoulder at me.
I shrugged, looking for Layla. "T-shirt and socks." I heard Layla whispering in a chant in my room.
"Layla?" I asked, cracking my bedroom door open. "Jake! I'm so sorry." Layla was sitting on the floor topless, lifting fists full of clothes off the floor to cover herself up.
I speechlessly backed out of the room and shut the door for her privacy. Paul was out in the hall laughing. Clearly, this was a setup.
"Rachel, let me use your room to change out of my wet clothes. She said she'd be back, but-"
"Don't worry about it. Take what you need." I cleared my throat. The image of Layla's shimmery pink bra cupping her full-bodied chest billboarded itself in the front of my mind, no matter how many times I tried to push it away.
"I think I might have a shirt in the box in the corner or something." The ones before my growth spurt should fit her better.
"Thanks." She shuffled over there. "Socks are in the bottom drawer of the desk." At least, I hoped so. One of those drawers held magazines only my dad knew about.
Moments later, she cracked open the door, embarrassed. "I'll give everything back in a while." Layla thumbed towards the dryer at the end of the hall.
Seeing her in my clothes was satisfying. I liked how something that once touched my skin was now encompassing her. It made me feel that much more tied to her. Liked she belonged to me.
"You're fine. I mean, you look great." Oh, great, my tongue was in knots now.
"Come on! We're watching Family Feud. Billie ordered pizza!" Paul called out to us. "That's not edible, Ray. You know I love you, but-" His voice faded, tailing after his girlfriend.
Layla's Pov
"I have to call Syd. I bet he's worried." I wove around Jacob, careful not to brush against him in the narrow hall.
I went to call my grandpa on the porch, but Ashely impatiently wanted to hear from me since we hadn't touched base this week. I told her I couldn't talk, but she demanded that I owed her pictures and intel I had been hoarding. When I hung up with her, Syd didn't sound surprised that I was at Jake's house. He just told me to be back before nine. With that weight off my shoulders, I headed inside, where Jacob saved me two slices of pizza.
Rachel and Paul hogged the love seat, intertwining themselves in a pretzel where it felt more like we were intruding upon their love nest. Billie kept the conversation going until he received a call from Sue. Then he left us alone with the couple starting to exchange kisses.
"I guess I should get going, too," I announced, heading back for my things. "You can just keep the clothes. No rush or anything." Jacob followed me.
"I think someone else would care if I came home in not my clothes," I sheepishly smiled up at Jake with a knowing glance.
"Right. Um, I'll be in the garage." He mumbled.
After discretely stuffing money for the brakes under his pillow like the tooth fairy, I met Jacob in his workshop.
I hope what I left was enough to cover the brake cost. I'd look it up later to see the labor cost if I needed to give him more.
He was putting away his tools when I came in.
"Do you dirt bike?" I asked, having a few more minutes to make conversation. I assumed he and the guys liked to ride with him.
"I haven't in a long time." Jacob's answer was flat.
"My brother and I used to ride every summer. Would you like to sometimes? I know you have to run them every once in a while to keep them in tune-"
"No." Jacob cut me off. "Oh." I looked down, hurt and confused by his harsh tone.
Then I recalled the red helmet that would fit a smaller head than his. It was made for a girl like me. Could it have been Bella's? No, I was getting ahead of myself.
"I mean that they're broken. I planned to sell them first thing when I got back, but I haven't gotten around to it." He continued.
"Gotcha. Well, goodnight." I went to mount my vehicle when Jacob's arm stopped me, pulling me back towards him. "Let me test it by driving you home."
"Jake," My rekindled irritation broke when I remembered the scrapbook. "Fine, if you want to run home in the rain, that's your deal."
"So, what are you up to this weekend besides theater practice?" Jacob asked.
"I rescheduled to hang out with my friend," I explained. "Oh, the redhead from the steps," Jacob noted.
"Iris? Shoot, I need to call her, too." I mumbled the last part, but he caught it.
"She's not the one you hang out with on Wednesdays." Jacob was more observant than I gave him credit for.
"Uh, no. That would be EJ." I looked out the window even though there was nothing tangible to fix my eyes on in the dark.
"EJ," He repeated, sounding a bit irked. It felt like Jacob was intentionally slowing the car.
"Who's EJ?" He asked. "A friend," I relayed again as if that was obvious.
"I got that. I mean, what's this kid's full name, and where did you guys meet?" Jacob started a rapid fire of questions.
I bit back a smile; it pleased me more than it should that this bothered him.
"EJ Mason. He's a younger than us. His family doesn't let him out much, so I visit him." I began to explain.
Jacob gave me a side-long glance of disbelief.
"He was previously homeschooled; this is his first year attending public school." I was gently defending him now. "We're both new kids. He gets it."
"Get's what?" Jacob scoffed. "To be the odd one out. A spectacle in a stuffy old town." I got out of the car before it came to a full stop.
I didn't want this to become an argument, so I told him he could keep the car until morning.
I felt a little bad for leaving things with Jacob like that. I couldn't believe that it was so far-fetched for me to have friends outside of La Push. The reservation population was smaller than Forks. Syd was already asleep in his chair. I turned off the lights and the TV for him before heading upstairs for my nightly routine.
It was too late to call Ashely without risking waking Syd, so I texted her some pictures and minor details about my week. I paused before sending her the picture of Jake and I from the other day. I knew it would send her reeling with more questions.
The sunset was not as nearly beautiful as it was in real life, but Jacob's smile was. And here we might have passed for a couple. I pressed send so I didn't dwell on the image too long before I started getting ideas that would lead me down disappointing avenues.
I hadn't put my phone down for two seconds before she called with Brianna on the line. "Finallllyyy!" B screamed. "Tell us everything!" Ashely's words bled together.
I assured them a few times that we weren't together and that he was just a friend. I did fill them in with this week, minus the wolf mishap on the trail.
I also left out last night, becoming vaguer in my storytelling to protect them from my misery of moving here and keeping Jacob's sorrow a secret. If Ashely knew what I said when pouring my heart out to Jake, she would have whisked me home to LA. That and if she knew my feelings were Jake became beyond a crush... Ash wouldn't let me get hurt again. I didn't plan on things getting that far, but...
"This is the perfect practice for you, Layla. Here me out." Brianna was the most experienced of all of us, and I wasn't ready to hear it. I couldn't date casually like she did. Not that it was bad per se, but it wasn't me. Ashely had a real boyfriend before me and some unmentionable items in her dresser drawers. So maybe that made me the prude one of our trio.
"Are you afraid he's, you know, proportional?" Brianna lowered her voice. "What?" I asked.
"Looking at him again, he's got to be more than six feet. Jake might be a lot to handle for your first anything." She explained.
"Brianna!" I shouted into the phone. I could feel my face turn bright red.
"I've always been worried about you, you know? It's always the quiet ones that are freaks. I don't need you popping off the deep end while I'm miles away." Brianna continued while Ashely laughed hysterically in the background.
"I'm hanging up!" I announced, embarrassed. "Wait!" Ashely gasped.
I hung up on them. It was almost midnight, and I had zero homework done.
Thursday
I was trying to figure out how I was going to juggle EJ, Iris, and now Jacob, who seemed determined to keep me in La Push for some reason. I thought he would have complained about the stack of cash I left behind first, but he hadn't mentioned it. Brianna and Ashely had tried calling me back this morning, but I thought they were just being persistent or apologetic about last night's topic.
"When my intern hours end, why don't we catch a movie?" Jacob asked me. "I can't," I stated abruptly. I couldn't go on anything that resembled a date to get my hopes up. I literally had a calendar with a date set to go back to LA. I was going to work with my former nemesis Bethany, my mom's assistant and good friend, on a time to visit.
Jake was waiting for my explanation. "I already made plans," I spoke a beat late.
"With who? The redhead or the weird kid." Jacob stated sourly. "EJ, but I owe Iris so." I bit my lip, torn. "If things aren't set in stone-" Jacob continued.
"I owe Iris for rejecting her invitation to ride with you," I confessed. "But EJ needs to talk about something important..." I voiced my inner debate.
Jacob arched a brow. "Hang out with them both." That didn't sound like a bad idea, but I had to catch EJ alone first. I didn't know how close he was with Iris.
"Then Saturday, maybe you and me..." He looked at me in a way that should be illegal. It made me want to melt in a puddle, so I quickly backed away before I could forget my own name.
"I don't think there are any good movies out," I tried to part with the plan-making. In all truth, I wasn't aware of what was in the box office these days.
"True, maybe we should have a movie night at Emily's then. That way, we could pick the movies."
Not being able to come up with an excuse, Jacob grinned, captivating me again. "Great, It's a date." He pulled me into a one-armed hug, but that was all he needed to encompass me to him.
Friday
The theater practice didn't go the way anyone wanted it to. The old wiring in the building short-circuited, disengaging the lights we needed. They were worried the rain had seeped through somewhere in the ceiling, so we were escorted out at risk of the fire hazard.
Most of the other students took early dismissal to have fun downtown while I headed in the opposite direction for my vehicle.
"You don't want to come? My Office Romance is playing." Tiffany asked. "We'll spot your ticket." Daniel offered.
"That's alright. Thank you, though." I walked fast, face in my phone. I was in the middle of texting EJ when I stepped off the curb when the light had turned red.
A black SUV cut me off mid-crosswalk despite the signal. "Whoah!" I dropped my phone.
Startled, I kicked the side of the car with my good foot. "Watch where you are going!" They had almost hit me.
The back passenger window rolled down to my father. "Dad?" "Layla, get in the car." I did as he said, not wanting to get in trouble for disrespecting his rental.
"I noticed there aren't many good places to eat here. Why don't we return to my friend's restaurant in Seattle?" My dad offered.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I can. I made plans with a friend and..." My hand shuffled for my cell phone that I had dropped.
"Your grandfather sees you every day of the week. It's your turn to see me." My father was perturbed that I would decline his request. The car was already in motion and on the highway before I could ask him to turn back for my phone.
I was peeved that my dad had to pick now of all times to hang out with me. Not only that, my precious point of contact was ripped away from me. So now I had zero distractions at this lame office function yet again.
We pulled up to a familiar conference center that sat next to a winery on a popular strip. It was set just out of reach from the docks with a nearby park. A sinking feeling in my stomach concerned me as if my intuition was screaming to leap out of the car and run, rather than enter the totally normal-looking building.
It didn't matter if I asked for us to get takeout instead. My dad was dead set on going.
We were led through a bustling hall of checkered marble to an exclusive back dining room decked out in red.
"Welcome, my Bella." The voice I didn't want to hear again surprised me with a kiss on my cheek. Niccolo Foscari, for some reason, was exceedingly scary.
I gave a polite smile, hoping for this evening to end quickly. To my dismay, Niccolo sat at the end of our table, watching me the whole night. I focused on the food, parching my hunger.
The dinner was impeccable, and with my hangry attitude quenched, I was more pleasant to myself and others around me.
"Dad," I whispered after dinner when most of his colleagues had gone home. "Can we go now?" He turned to me, an old-fashioned in hand.
Damn it. When my dad started drinking, he'd be out for hours. "Feel free to take a cab back, sweetie." Wren dismissed me.
What was the freaking point of dragging me here to ignore me? I had half a mind to call a cab to take me back to Port Angeles.
I shuffled in my purse. Right, no cellphone.
"Need something?" Niccolo didn't touch the food on the table the whole night. Just a touch of wine whenever our eyes met.
"A phone. I need to call a cab." I stated curtly. "Allow me to give you a ride." Niccolo offered.
My body moved on its own and followed him out the door. I guess I could use the apartment complex's valet to call me a cab.
"How did you like dinner?" He questioned, getting out of his car. Black Mercedes with equally tinted windows
"It was good."That wasn't a lie. It was more than enough and better than most I've had in a while.
"You don't seem entirely pleased." He spoke with too much familiarity.
"I'd just like to go home. You see, I left without telling anyone. I'm sure they're worried." I laughed sarcastically as we entered the mirrored elevator. There was a lot I didn't like right now.
"I see. My presence concerns you." He dropped my hand. "No." I lied.
"It's alright. That's no surprise. I know my kind can make yours nervous."
I frowned in lack of understanding. "Your kind?" The words escaped my lips.
"Yes, we'll speak on it more later. Justina will help you prepare for tonight." The doors opened to my father's floor, but a gorgeous Argentinian woman with an exhausted expression of apathy appeared. She was dressed in chic business attire, silken hair wrapped in a sideways bun.
"Prepare for what?" I whipped around to feel a cold, manicured hand on my shoulder. "Come with me."
Justina escorted me wordlessly to my dad's apartment. How did she get his keys? Was my dad seeing her?
She sneered at the place as if it were in bad taste. Then she opened trunks of clothes and accessories for display.
"Is this some sort of joke?" I asked. She didn't respond, glancing at me and then the clothes she pawed through.
I waited by the door when she gestured for me to come over with one finger.
"Are you not going to tell me what's going on? Or how you got in here?" Her eyes flashed over to me.
"You're in a precarious position of vulnerability and power." Justina's voice was wistful and blew faintly like the wind. This, too, like everything else, confused me.
"Niccolo is not to be trifled with. If you seek to gain his full favor, you must first gain his trust." She continued placing a hanger in my hand and guided me to the closest room to change.
"Although he already seems quite taken with you." "Taken with me?" I repeated, dumbfounded.
"Yes, change." She ordered. I did as she said, scared to disobey her scrutiny. I dawned on a sultry satin dress. The jewelry Justina had for me was a small, decadent old gold garnet necklace, and she fixed my hair into a carefully crafted half-updo.
"What does he want with me?" I'd keep her talking until I had a chance to run away.
"You're his singer." She explained. "No, I'm a dancer," I scoffed. Her stoic expression cracked a smile for the first time.
"He will explain more." She mused nonchalantly. As she started to put her portable wardrobe away, I slowly made my way to the door.
"If you run, you'll tear your dress. If you tear your dress, we'll have to go back to square one. And if we are late, it will be my head on a plate. Got it?" She explained this like a nursery rhyme, and as if she'd explained this all before.
"How many have been in my place?" My throat was tight. "It's not what you think. Mortals are most fearful, aren't they?" She sighed, beginning to speak to herself now.
"Since you haven't disobeyed me yet, I'll tell you this." Justina dropped a pair of shoes in front of me to step into.
"Some fairytales and legends are founded in truth. Do not forget this is a great opportunity many long for as we proceed tonight." Nothing Justina said made sense. What was this guy, royalty?
I wasn't getting the answers I wanted, so I asked a personal question. "Did he give you a great opportunity?"
She seemed surprised. "Yes, he did. Fosacri saved my life, twice. Serving him a thousand years may not be enough."
"Do you love him?" I whispered; it seemed like she held a lot of admiration for him.
"No, not at all. I only hold admiration." Justina let out a ragged cackle.
I was taken up to the penthouse. It covered the entire top floor.
An impressive suite that led out to a wrap-around garden area. Most of the tall glass windows were dark-tinted, and the floor was made of onyx.
As we walked through the spacious place, we approached a seating area.
"There you are." Niccolo stood up excitedly to greet me. He took my hand and led me to sit with him. I opened my mouth to question him.
"Sit silently and watch." His words weighed heavily, and I did as I was told, not because I wanted to.
I wanted to run out of this place and get my head checked. Maybe I was actually hit by the SUV in Port Angeles and was having some strange dream.
A tall modelsque platinum blond in an all-black attire stood at his right while an average brunette male sat in a chair on the other side. Both exuded bodyguard energy. Bursting through another pair of double doors that looked like an original elevator. Two more people shoved a third down before Niccolo, cracking the floor as they shoved him down.
I gasped silently. "No need to abuse my floor. Tell me, was it you who took the last sample of my beloved's blood?" Fear jolted in my veins.
I felt multiple eyes flicker to me briefly. The man trembled, but when he looked up at us, his eyes were on me. Teeth bared, eyes blood red, and hissing.
"No need to make a show of this. Want me to wipe his memory?" The Russian male sounded dismissive. "No. No one can taste what is mine." Niccolo's eyes were rage-filled, but he kept his voice even.
"Ah, Dah." His friend sighed. "Too bad his gift was sometimes useful." The brunette shrugged, but he looked absolutely sadistic. Eager for whatever it was to happen.
"Roberto," Niccolo spoke the hissing man's name. He leaped at us. I clung to Niccolo, burying my head in his chest, terrified by how the man moved irrationally fast.
"Stop. Rip your tongue out," Niccolo ordered; his arm snaked around me and lifted my head to watch. "It's alright, dearest. I have you." He whispered in my ear.
With a cracking sound, the man had no choice but to break his tongue off, throwing it to the floor with a scream.
"Now, your teeth," Niccolo ordered. I breathed unevenly, gripping his shirt tighter. I winced, wanting to look away.
He proceeded to yank out his teeth, and the brunette on the left collected them in a jar. I saw no blood come forth from him.
"Any last words?" Niccolo mused in a chuckle unphased. Roberto muffled indistinct noises that sounded like a 'fuck you.'
"Caleb, Greta. Break him apart and burn his body. Oh, and Ensure you burn his head last so he sees himself being cast into hell." Niccolo instructed.
Caleb, the musician I saw before, a kid hardly older than seventeen, locked eyes with me for a moment, and then he pressed on with a disengaged demeanor. They approached the man on the floor.
"Oh, Can I, Nicco?" Greta's doll face twisted in delight. Niccolo smirked in response. That's all she needed.
The man cried out in pain when they began to dismember him. Chunks were ripped off with shattering sounds. Caleb ripped off his head first, refusing to look in my direction.
I think I passed out because when I woke up, I was on a couch in an unfamiliar room. My senses returned when I felt a prick pull from my arm.
"Don't move too quickly. You might faint again." Niccolo crooned. I sat up to see a bandage around my arm.
"Are you drugging me? What was he? What did you do?! Who are you people?!" The words flooded out of me in a panic.
He waited for me to calm down, watching me with a subtle look of lust on his face.
"Store that well," Niccolo ordered someone behind me. He walked across the room to me.
"I'm not drugging you. I wouldn't want your taste to be altered." Niccolo lifted me out of the chair and walked me effortlessly into another room resembling a master bedroom. Decorated in gaudy gold and Renaissance pieces. There was a small seating area with old vintage couches and a canopy bed pressed against the back wall.
I was relieved when he set me on the chair beside him instead of taking me there.
On the coffee table was piping hot tea and little cakes. "You're father said you liked Earl Grey."
I sat still, refusing to pour my cup. "It's not drugged or poisoned." He assured me.
I guess it didn't matter anyway. My hands trembled to pick up the cup he poured me. I was only able to take one sip, but the warmth helped.
"I will let you know I do not intend to harm you." Niccolo brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.
"What do you want with me?" My eyes glassed over with fearful tears. "To give you your every heart's desire..."
I choked on my tea and looked at him like he was crazy. "In exchange for your blood."