17. ALL WRONG
"Something's wrong with Edythe." Freaked out (and for very different reasons I'm sure), Beau and I looked up at the exact same time as Archie burst in through the sliding glass doors. He held Edythe in front of him, hands tight around her upper arms while she looked up at him shooting daggers into his eyes. Even I could tell she was not pleased. In fact, she was furious. Her whole body worked to shake his hands off of her and she stepped away from him with a sort of huff and this scowl, crossing her arms over her chest. Beau dropped my hand and ran up to her. I clenched it into a fist.
"Are you okay?" he asked, taking her arm.
"Don't touch me." She threw his hand off of her, her nose wrinkling up like she smelled something bad and started to march up the stairs. I felt my nostrils flare, like she had offended me personally. Pretty lousy way to greet your beloved spouse, wasn't it?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going, huh?" Archie called up and met her before she could make it to the top of the stairs.
"How very irritating you are being." she shot back with an impertinent sniff and pushed past him. "Leave me-" But her words got cut off, and she started to cough like she had a really bad chest cold. She doubled over, pressing one hand to her torso and another over her lips. It sounded painful. I winced.
"What's going on here?" Carine just appeared at the top of the stairs out of nowhere and seeing Edythe like that, she sprinted towards her, putting one arm around her and using her other hand to pull Edythe's away from her mouth. There was something about the way she did that – it almost reminded me a little of my own mom; how she was while I was growing up whenever I skinned a knee or came home from school crying. Still looking at them, I came up behind Beau and Edythe tried to get away again - away from us, that is - but Carine stopped her. Her eyes, concerned, grew really big, and it looked like she was actually pretty scared. Beau seized Edythe's wrist and yanked it from Carine, only to see a large patch of wet, sticky blood on the palm of her hand and I felt sick to my stomach just then. Something was obviously very wrong with her. Carine swiped a finger across the smear of red and brought it to her nose, sniffing it.
"It's bear. Grizzly." she said, blinking.
"Edythe and I were hunting them today." Archie started. "But she just couldn't keep anything down. I know she's still thirsty, just look at her eyes." He looked at her with that same sort of severity and fear Carine did. I gasped. Her eyes really were still black; a dark, piercing coal black. That must've been why she was running away from us – I guess she was just trying really hard not to drain us and kill us dead. She was more than capable of doing such a thing, of course. I took Beau's hand and tried to bring him back to me, but he wouldn't move, and it was like I wasn't even there in the first place.
"I'm fine, seriously." Edythe muttered in an angry voice and shoved past her mom and brother with her shoulders. I guess she seemed... sick, somehow. And I don't think bloodsuckers were supposed to get sick. It was all wrong.
"Wait, Edythe!" Beau cried out, wrenching his arm free from my grip to go be with her. He sprinted up the steps in threes to her room but she slammed the door shut in his face and he stumbled backwards, bracing himself against the wall. I gasped and ran up the stairs, holding him steady. What honestly was her problem?
"I really, really need you to go away right now, Beau." I heard Edythe say in a weak, choked voice from behind the door. "Please. I don't... I don't want to hurt you. Either of you." Her voice broke then, and for one split second I actually almost felt bad for her.
"We should leave." I whispered and shook Beau's arm, beginning to lead us downstairs.
"I think that would be for the best." Carine agreed. Oh, right, I almost forgot - she could hear me. There was seriously no privacy in a room with vampires. Or us Shapeshifters, for that matter. Guess I should've known. Sighing, I dragged Beau out the front door and slammed it shut behind us.
"I need to go back, Jules -" He made to free himself from my grip on him.
"Don't be stupid, Beau. She was literally going to have both you and me for lunch." I scoffed. I turned to look at him, but his gaze was still fixed on the house. "Hey, Beau?" I snapped my fingers in front of him and he turned with a start. "Why don't you come over to my place? I made some salmon today; we've still got some left over if you want any."
"My dad's not over, is he?" Beau asked, all serious.
I shook my head. "Nope. It's just me and my mom. Why?"
"We still need to figure out Archie's visions. I don't want to say anything to Charlie until we get that sorted out." he answered, shaking his head.
"I understand. Maybe you could tell my mom what's up." I suggested. "She might be able to help."
"She hates the Cullens."
"Yeah, but she likes you, hard as you might find that to believe." I jabbed his chest with my finger. He smiled a little. Kind of.
"Alright. Just one tiny little question," he turned around twice, looking at the stretch of empty driveway I would've normally parked my motorbike on. "Where's our ride?"
"You're looking at her." I pointed two thumbs at myself. "Here, take this." I threw off Edythe's shirt and tossed it at him, not wanting to rip it because I wasn't an animal – not really, at least. It bounced around in his hand like a hot potato and I laughed really hard at that. He looked at me and his face turned a bright red. I don't think I've ever been more relieved to see anyone blush like that. I phased, letting the wind blow through my reddish-brown fur as I gave him a look from over my shoulder that said "hop on".
"Well. That works." He shrugged, folding the shirt up and putting it in his coat pocket before climbing onto my back. He held on to me and the warmth of his body on mine felt amazing knowing that he was still himself; that he was still my best friend. Racing through the heart of the old-growth forest which lined the highway, I hurried home with Beau on my back.
When we got to my place, I phased back to my normal human form. Walking up the wooden ramp that led into the house, I swung the door open. It was unlocked.
"Mom!" I called out. "I'm home." I turned around again. Beau was just standing there, like he was waiting for me to invite him in or something. "Don't be such a weirdo." I laughed. "Come on in." Leading the way, I sat Beau down on the couch in our living room and ran to my own room really quick, tossing on a thin blue pullover. It was nice to be in my own clothes again.
By the time I got back to the living room, Mom was already there. She was wheeled right up beside Beau and their voices were soft, but it was easy for my ears even in my regular old human form to keep up with their conversation from here. I sat down beside Beau, crossing one leg over the other and shoving my hands into my pockets.
"… And you're sure you feel alright, Beau?" He nodded at Mom's question. "I'll tell Sam and the girls to be on the lookout."
"No specifics though, please?" he added. "Archie's keeping us all up to date, but nothing is set in stone yet. I just don't want anyone getting hurt." Always so concerned for literally everyone but himself, the big dummy. It made me smile. He really was the best.
"That's the boy I know." Mom patted the top of his hand. "Don't worry Beau, we'll be careful."
"I'm glad. Thank you." He blushed and looked down into his lap. Mom pulled back again, still smiling, and turned to leave.
"Wait, Bonnie?" Beau sprang up from the couch and caught the handle of Mom's wheelchair. She looked at him, raising her eyebrows a little.
"There's something else I wanted to ask you about." He bit his lip, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Mom waited for him to continue.
"You – that is, the Quileutes – have known the Cullens for a pretty long time, right?" Mom's eyes narrowed in the slightest but she didn't stop him. She was probably just as curious as I was to see where this was going - I remembered how Edythe was acting strange today, and I wondered what Beau thought about it. He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing. It was like he was chewing on air.
"Just spit it out, will you? Or I'll do it for you." I said, smacking my face with the palm of my hand. His shoulders heaved again and I rolled my eyes. He looked from me to Mom, tugging at the hem of his shirt, a nervous habit of his I picked up on way back when from our mudpie-making days.
"Edythe's sick." he finally managed in a voice just barely above a whisper, both fear and concern at once lacing its edges - you could tell he was seriously worried. And I didn't blame him.
Mom tilted her head. This was obviously news to her.
"Yeah. I was wondering if you guys have any stories or legends about that sort of thing – you know, about vampire – er, Pale Ones – weaknesses. Besides what we already know. Things that can make them sick." Like bad blood? I thought and laughed, hearing the double-meaning behind it. I mean, Edythe just being around was already enough to make me pretty sick. I'm sure she feels the exact same way about me, too.
"I don't believe so." Mom shook her head. "How 'sick' do you mean, Beau?"
"Like… like she's sick. Human sick. She can't keep anything down."
Bonnie let out a dry chuckle.
Her voice was a light, joking sound. "Well, that certainly brings back memories. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it almost sounded like she was pregnant."
Beau staggered a step back and swallowed. Hard. I didn't like that reaction.
I guess he was a little different now.
"Mom, that's ridiculous. Stop being weird." I shot back too quickly. I didn't need to hear that. I didn't need to visualize that. My stomach lurched and I thought it was my turn to retch up lunch now.
"Well, it's certainly not something I'd want to hear about you at this point." Bonnie teased. I just rolled my eyes at her, trying not to blush - she didn't need to worry about me, that's for sure.
"She couldn't even stand being in the same room with us, Mom. She was that thirsty. I guess it is a little strange." I added with a shrug, crossing my arms over my chest. Beau still wasn't saying anything though, and his face had gone all pale - in other words, he wasn't looking too hot.
"Or perhaps she just caught a bug." Mom added, but almost laughed again when she said it.
"Well, I'd have a hard time believing that." I huffed. "Either of those things."
Beau stayed silent.
"Hey?" I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "Earth to Beau…anyone home, space cadet?"
"Ah, what?" he asked, finally meeting my eyes.
"Well? What do you think?"
"Well, I-" he sighed loudly then shook his head. "I guess I don't know what to think." Wow. What a confident answer.
"You know what I think?" Mom started up. "I think it's time we eat something, hm? Jules, go heat up some salmon for you and Beau. We can have it in here, watch the game together. I'm sure he's hungry." Just then, Beau's stomach let out this super-loud growl, totally confirming my mom's words. I laughed.
"Right on it." Jumping up off the couch, I sprinted to the kitchen. Taking my own leftover plate from the back of the fridge, I tossed it into the microwave for a minute before doing the same with Beau's share, so his would be hotter for longer. Mom had finished hers earlier already, so I brought her a cold Rainier and a small bag of chips instead, like she'd have whenever she went over to Charlie's to watch the game at his place. Setting all that out on the table in front of the TV, I ran to the kitchen again to get some apple juice for Beau and me. By the time I returned to the living room, the game had already started and I sat next to Beau on the couch, pulling my plate of mashed-up food into my lap.
"Whoa, is that the new gourmet style?" he joked, pointing at it. I grinned.
"You know it."
"Cool."
We laughed about it together at the exact same time. I touched his shoulder.
Of course, I knew this was all wrong, but it felt all right to me.