Chapter 12: Into the den

Her feet stood mounted to the ground for a few seconds, staring at the darkening forest in front of Paul but the forest wasn't the reason of her elevated heartbeat and shaking hands. She could see him standing at the edge of the forest, his skin paler than she'd even seen it before. His skin not quite as luminous as it had been before. She could see the trees behind him like he was partially see-through. He was staring at her with intense, golden eyes, never blinking, his jaws hard and clenched. He looked seething angry as he lowered his face just a fraction towards the ground making his gaze more menacing. She hadn't seen him like this before.

"Leech girl?" Paul said a few feet away from her now, his body still turned towards the forest in front of him but his head turned back to look at her frozen form behind him. If she would've been looking at him she would've sworn his eyes soften every so slightly. "You don't have to come if you don't want to." He said awkwardly, reaching back to scratch at the back of his neck.

She kept looking at him whilst taking deliberate steps towards Paul, making Edward's eyes darken as he shook his head at her and growled. "I'm fine, let's go."

The trek through the forest didn't take as long as she had anticipated, her mind was still clouded by the vague appearance of Edward whilst Paul's mind was marvelling at how the previously clumsy Bella Swan was now rushing through the forest alongside him with a grace he hadn't expected from her. He had seen her awkward, clumsy form in Jacob's mind plenty of times. Her mind was obviously somewhere else, her gaze not even on the ground or the trees around them, like she wasn't present next to him at all. Like she was almost floating.

She looked small and frail walking next to his looming, tense form even though the power and speed of her steps made up his mind about her.

The set up she walked into made her eyes roll, they were all there and almost all of them were shirtless, Leah being the exception. "Great show of testosterone." She murmured under her breath, making Leah snort on the other side of the field.

"Leech girl." She said dryly.

"Wolf girl." Bella replied in the same tone.

The atmosphere was tense and almost visible between them, especially when Paul joined the rest of the bare chested, tall boys standing in a crescent in front of her. She felt like she was ready to get judged. Which she suddenly realised, wasn't too far from the truth.

"I must admit you guys do look very sick." She said sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"Look at whose talking." Paul retorted.

"I'm sorry, are you the one who now has a permanent scar on their arm because Jacob couldn't control himself?"

"That's not fair-" He started, taking a step towards her but he stopped instantly when Sam motioned him to stand back, making Bella raise her eyebrows.

"We need to address what's been going on." Sam stated with a firm voice.

"Took you long enough."

"We don't know what's going on with you, it's been confusing us."

"Confusing you so much that you cut ties with me even when I know your biggest secret?"

Sam just looked down at his feet for a moment before shifting his gaze to the thick scar on her arm. It looked different from Emily's. It still looked raised and angry against het white skin.

"We should've handled that differently, I agree. We needed some time."

"I don't-"

"It's time to address that there is something going on with you, Bella."

She frowned, "I'm not-"

"Are you really that delusional." Paul scoffed.

"There's no need to be an ass, Paul." She bit back.

"Here's what we do know," Sam interrupted when Paul was about to take a step closer to her, "you've changed in the last months."

Bella just stared at him with defiance in her eyes, crossing her arms against. "What's so different about me then?"

"You're paler than normal humans." Leah started with a crooked smile, making Bella roll her eyes.

"You're not as clumsy anymore." Jacob added.

"I'm just maturing, that doesn't-"

"You caught a branch falling down from a tree."

"Have you never caught a ball during PE?"

"Not when I didn't know it was coming right at me." He said through gritted teeth, a tremor going through his chest.

"Jacob." Sam said with a firm warning.

"You smell different." Paul added with a disgusted look on his face.

"What do you-"

"You smell more like on of them. Not completely human anymore." He said whilst sniffing the air.

"Please don't tell me you're going to sniff me too like a total weirdo." Jacob blushed bright red and clenched his fists.

Bella frowned, she was about to ask how someone cannot smell human but then remembered the affect of Edward's scent on her.

"Your skin is colder too." Jacob added softer when he started noticing Bella's confused face, her eyes glazed over like she was remembering something. Her gaze stuck on her pale hand which she had raised slightly in front of her.

"Your anger." Sam finally said, making her snap out of her mind to meet his gaze but she froze again when she saw Edward's misty shape a few feet behind Sam.

"What about my anger?" She said, her voice almost forlorn whilst her mind as swirling around different thoughts and memories, making her feel dazed and confused.

"It's not how normal humans react."

"I'm going to need you to be more specific."

"They way you crouched when I-" Jacob couldn't finish his sentence since his body filled with shame and discomfort.

"You get stronger when you get angry."

She couldn't find any words, her mind felt too full.

"How-" "What-" "I don't-"

She raised her hands to her head, clutching her hair between her fingers. "What are you trying to say." She murmured quietly.

"We think something's going on with you."

"What do you think is going on with me?" When no answer came she felt chills going through her and sudden urge of desperation and panic fill her to the brim until a nervous chuckle escaped her throat. "I need to you tell me."

"We think you're turning into a vampire, Bella." Sam said with difficulty.

"But-" she started in a burst of panic, her hands starting to shake, "that's not how you turn into a vampire." Her voice higher than before and her panic noticeable in her voice.

"There's never been a case like yours, as far as I know." Sam seemed calmer than the others, sympathy seeking through his voice when he noticed her panic and fear.

"I don't-" she gasped, her hands making her way to her chest as Edward's form behind Sam stepped closer with strong, calculated steps.

"Just breathe." His voice echoed through her head. "Focus on your breathing. You're alright for now."

Her breathing was shaky and others who filled the clearing could hear her elevated heart pounding away in her chest.

"The question now," Paul started as he took deliberate but slow steps towards her, "is what do we do with you?"

Bella frowned and took a hesitant step back, "Do with me?." She repeated as an icy feeling flood her chest, she felt like water was freezing in her chest, expanding until it was pushing against her rib cage and freezing tightly around her ribs, waiting to burst from her, making her hands shake. She felt the blood which had previously flooded her face rush away, leaving her cheeks cold.

"Relax," Sam started carefully looking at her shaking hands, remembering the things he had seen in Jacob's mind weeks before. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Yet." Added Paul.

Anger rose in her chest, "I haven't done anything."

"Yet." Said Paul again.

"Would you stop that!."

He just smirked in response. "We're meant to kill hostile vampires, leech girl."

"I'm not a vampire."

He stalked forward until his chest was nearly touching hers, putting his face too close to hers, eyeing her face from top to bottom. "Yet." He growled.

The anger which filled her felt bright hot in comparison to the icy cold which had just been there, like the chunks of ice in her chest had pushed their way through her skin and now filled her chest with burning, boiling blood. She didn't think as she pushed against his chest, making him fly back several feet where he changed into wolf form.

"Paul, stand down." Sam said firmly." Paul's wolf form was shaking as he took a step back and lowered his head with obedience.

"You get stronger when you get angry." Jacob said, much softer this time around. Bella looked at her hands, shaking. Her chest heaving as she tried to push the feeling inside of her down, tuck it somewhere away under her ribs.

He carefully made his way towards her and grabbed her wrist, "We think it's because of this."

"I don't know." She murmured, eyeing Edward over his shoulder who looked at her with a blank face.

"There's never been anyone who's survived something like that." He said whilst tracing the cold scar with the heat of his fingers. She wanted to rip her hand out of his, but let him study her for a moment. He moved his gaze to her face, mapping her face before ending on her eyes.

"You used to have more freckles." He murmured. "And your eyes are no longer chocolate brown."

She looked down, she had noticed that too.

"I've done a lot of research these last couple of weeks." Same added from behind Jacob, "But there's nothing."

"We were wondering if you could help us contact the head of the Cullens."

Bella blanked, her hands freezing in Jacob's. "Bella-" he started as she trembled slightly.

"I can't contact him."

"We know it's difficult for you, but-"

"You don't get it." She started sadly, "I can't contact him. They left without telling me where they were going. They've changed their phone numbers and e-mail addresses. I literally can't contact them."

Paul scoffed loudly, making Bella jump. He had turned back into his human form with her noticing. "There's no need to lie, leech girl."

"I'm not lying!"

"We know enough about leeches and their customs to know that they mate for life, like we do."

"What are you-"

"Leech-ward can't have just left."

"Well, he did!" She hissed through her teeth, making Jacob drop her hands and taking her chin between his thumb and his index finger.

"You're eyes darken when you're angry too." He murmured, she pushed his hand away and made her way towards Paul who was towering over her with his height, she barely reached his shoulders. The others in the clearing tenses slightly at the nearness of the two and the palpable anger, thick in the air.

"I can't contact them because I have no means to contact them."

He nodded at the intensity of her gaze and grinned. "You're still angry right?"

"A little, I guess."

"Push me again."

"Paul-" Sam started.

"I'm in control, I'm cool." Paul said, "I want to see what she can do when she's in control."

"I've never focused on strength whenever I've pushed someone."

"Try."

Bella furrowed her brows and tried pushing him, he didn't move an inch. He scoffed, "I know that's not all you've got leech-girl."

"Stop calling me leech-girl." She grunted as she tried pushing him again, his chest hot beneath her hands. His form still not budging from its stance, like she was pushing a tree.

"What are you going to do about it," he taunted, "leech-girl."

"Paul-" Jacob started.

She pushed again to no avail. "Stop it."

"Maybe you need to think about something else. Channel the feelings from a memory." He pondered. "Think about leech-ward."

Her hands fell from his chest like dead weight, her insides froze and the ice pushed through her ribs. Paul saw her eyes blank before the dark brown turned into a deep, oozing black. He smirked even though nerves bubbled inside his stomach. He clenched his fists against his sides, focusing on keeping his calm, on not phasing.

"Think about what he did to you."

"Paul, this isn't the-" She couldn't hear Jacob's voice over the pounding in her ears, like her heart had moved to her head.

Her head tilted slightly upwards to look over Paul's shoulder as everything around her became clearer and more focused, like a television going to HD. Her eyes singled out Edward's cloudy form still standing behind the crescent of bare-chested men around them. She felt encircled now with Paul in front of her, in her space. Jacob and Sam behind her and the rest of the pack behind Paul.

"You're not going to say anything?" He goaded, "Think of how he left you here all alone, how he-"

"Bella don't!" His voice roared in her head, but it was too late. All she saw was red and it almost felt like the world around her had been paused, had been put in slow-motion as she brought her hands, which were no longer shaking to his chest and pushed with all her might and anger.

The smirk appearing on Paul's face crept upon it slowly, when he felt the firmness of her hands he locked his wolf into its cage, willing it not to come out, willing it to not see her as a threat for now. Jacob almost marvelled at how far Paul was flung back, much further than she had pushed him back previously.

Her eyes were wide and dark, her chest heaving as she saw him flying back and landing on his feet, reminding her of a cat. "I knew it." He murmured. How did I hear that? She wondered. How did I do that?

"I guess you've made your point." She said quietly as she straightened her stance, Paul approaching her again.

"You need to learn how to control that anger, learn how to use it."

"I don't know if I want to be able to use it."

It was quiet around them now. Jacobs saw a mixture of the old and new Bella in front of him.

"The question is, what do we do now?"

"You can't kill me just because I'm different."

"Nobody's going to be killing anyone." Jacob said, stepping between the two of them.

"We have a proposal for you," Sam started his eyes fluttering to Paul with annoyance, "which doesn't include killing you."

"Unless you mess up of course."

"Stop it, Paul."

He raised his hands and turned around to join the incomplete crescent behind him.

"We'll help you go through whatever it is that you're going through. So we can monitor what's going on, how fast it's happening and help you control it."

"What's the catch?"

"The rules will be the same as the treaty with the Cullens."

"I can't enter your land?"

Jacob laughed, "Once you turn into an actual leech-"

"If, " she interrupted him, "If I turn into a vampire."

"If you turn into a vampire, the same rules will apply to you too. You can't bite, feed from or harm humans and you can't come onto our land."

"And if I do, you'll kill me?"

The silence was tense and thick. "Yes." Sam concluded.

Bella moved towards him, offering him her hand. He grabbed it with a stern and solemn face. "Deal." She said with sadness in her voice.

"Deal." Sam replied with the same trepidation in his.