Chapter 3: Jacob
The call came twelve hours early and I missed it by fifteen minutes. I had just run out to pick up Billy from Charlie's where the two had brokered an awkward peace, but by the time I arrived back at the house, the red light on the answering machine was flashing.
Now it was early in the morning and I knew I had patrol soon. I really should have been sleeping, but I just couldn't. It felt like the very definition of wrong to be lying down getting rest while Bella probably couldn't. Abruptly I stalked back to the answering machine and pressed the play button again.
Hey Billy, it's Bella. Just wanted to call and let you know that I'm alright. Talk to you soon, bye.
Belatedly, I wondered if I should have cleared her message off the answering machine, but I quickly decided against it. It was morbid, but I wanted her last words to us saved. Her voice was thin and exhausted and she tumbled over her words like she was racing against the clock. But it was there and listening to the message over and over again, I couldn't hear any traces of pain or terror. And even if she had been afraid, who could have blamed her? Most humans would have given into it the minute they found out they were being chased by a bloodthirsty monster. She was honestly sounding better than I could have hoped for.
As much as I couldn't help myself from listening to the message she left, it wasn't right. Bella was only barely there. I paced over to the TV cabinet and pulled out the video camera. Thumbing through the saved files, I found one from the date I was looking for and pressed play.
"We're here, recording the exact moment the great Jacob Black starts his Volkswagon Rabbit for the first time!" Bella giggled from behind the camera. This was better. Her voice was still soft, but it didn't sound nearly so frail. It sounded like the Bella I had fallen madly in love with.
The camera was trained on the Rabbit in the garage and as I watched, Quil poked his head over the roof. I felt a pang of bitterness. I missed Quil too, but not in the way I missed Bella. For all Quil's anger with the situation, he was safe at home, just missing his friends. Besides, it wouldn't be long now until he joined us.
"What about me?" The Quil in the video asked hotly. Bella giggled again.
"Fine, the great Jacob Black and his sidekick, Quil."
"Find your own car to rebuild, dummy." Video Jake lowered the hood and beamed at the camera. The video had only been taken four weeks ago, but it could very well have been a lifetime ago for all I recognized myself in that boy. His hair was long and tied in a messy knot at the back of his head and his face still had the slightly rounded quality of a boy turning into a man. But the thing that shocked me most was his eyes.
After I first phased, it took me a full week to work up the nerve to look at myself in the mirror. I was expecting the short hair and I could already feel my face firming up. What I wasn't expecting was how old my eyes looked. The boy in the video had carefree eyes that shone with love for the girl holding the video camera. By contrast, the man in the mirror had eyes that were drawn and shuttered off. The eyes of someone who had lived too long and knew too much.
Would Bella even like my eyes now? I grimaced and tried to shake the thought out of my head. It was the last thing I should be worrying about right now.
I turned the camera off. I knew what would happen next anyway. I'd go to start the car and nothing would happen. I'd whack my forehead on the steering wheel a little too hard then Quil would bust out laughing and Bella would stop recording. I found out later that it was Quil's idea of a hilarious joke to disconnect part of the engine so that I'd embarrass myself in front of Bella. Let's just say he had a surprise guest in his bedroom that night.
I had already watched this video a dozen times since I phased, basking in the sound of Bella's laughter. Her laughs didn't come easy, especially after her bloodsucker boyfriend ditched her, but when she did laugh it was the most beautiful sound in the world.
I clenched my fists against the white-hot rage that rushed down my spine. I'd already hated the Cullens after they abandoned her but after learning that they were immortal beings with the time and resources to do literally anything they wanted? Well, let's just say it was a good thing no one was standing right next to me when I learned that particular bit of info. Even now it was a struggle to hold myself together.
Once I had myself under control, I picked up Bella's letter to Billy again. There was no point. I'd already basically memorized it, but still I looked. It was written hastily, with just enough information to stir up a panic but not enough that was actually useful. I groaned. Bella going missing was definitely something I couldn't deal with right now. Especially with the redheaded leech still messing around.
Suddenly something the black-haired one said to Bella before they knew we were there echoed in my mind. She wanted to kill you herself. She's sort of put out with you, Bella.
Shit. Could the black-haired leech have been talking about the redhead? I hadn't had a chance to think about it before now but it explained why the redhead was still hanging around. And if Bella had picked up on the same phrasing I had, it would explain why Bella had left so quickly. She was after Bella.
"Jake, you okay?" I suddenly became aware of the wood of the table groaning beneath my fingertips. Embry's giant body finished his entrance into the house and he peered at my face. "You look a little sick, man."
"Bella," I groaned, unable to get anything more out. His face twisted in sympathy.
"Ah yeah, this sucks man. But she just called yesterday. I don't think you need to worry yet."
"No, that's not it," I choked out. "I think Bella's the one the redhead is after. That's why she won't eff off." Embry's eyes were so wide I thought his eyeballs were going to fall out of their sockets, but after a minute he regained himself.
"But that's good, isn't it?" I opened my mouth, probably to cuss him out, and he corrected himself in a rush. "Not good I mean, definitely bad. But the last time we caught the leech's trail was yesterday, right? That means she hasn't figured out that Bella's left town yet." I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. Embry was right, but it didn't help a ton.
"We gotta talk to Sam about this," I muttered. Embry nodded.
"Everyone else should hear this too. I'll round up the pack, the shift should be changing soon anyways. You head to Emily's and meet us there." I nodded, exceptionally grateful to Embry for taking this on. I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do less than try to hide my inner thoughts from the guys right now.
The walk to Emily's took longer than usual. Usually when I was forced to walk instead of run, whenever Sam got tired of my constant moaning about Bella, I was twitchy and impatient. Now, I relished the time alone with my thoughts. There was a sort of meditation with walking. It was easy to time my breathing to the beat of my feet on the ground. That, combined with lungfuls of dewy morning air, allowed calm to finally seep into my limbs. Running as a wolf was spectacular, but right now my body and my brain relished the break. Unfortunately, Emily didn't live too far away and despite my slow pace, my legs carried me there long before my brain was ready for this conversation.
When I let myself into the house, Embry and Jared were already scarfing down pancakes and bacon at the table, Emily looked up from the griddle where she was flipping pancakes and offered me a tentative smile. I could tell that she was still a little uncomfortable around me so I gave her a small wave back, but didn't attempt to approach her. I probably shouldn't scare Sam's shy fiancee. She was sweet and she made really good muffins and most importantly, she kept Sam in a good mood.
Despite the hollow pit in my stomach, the pancakes were delicious, and I found myself halfway through the massive stack Emily passed me when Sam and Paul walked in. Sam ignored me and walked right back into the kitchen. With the expression of a starving man being presented with a feast, he kissed Emily's mouth tenderly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Paul mimicking throwing up to Jared, who chucked a slice of bacon at him. Paul caught it and stuffed it in his mouth with a triumphant grin.
"I saw that, Paul," Sam said gruffly, without turning around. Emily giggled and pulled herself out of his grasp to reach for a clean plate.
"Oh lay off him, Sam. He's obviously starving after running for so long. In fact, shame on you for keeping him from his breakfast," she teased lightly.
"Yeah, shame!" Paul called out and Sam rolled his eyes.
"Moving on. Jake, Embry said you thought you knew why the redhead is hanging around for so long?"
I quickly reminded them of what we overheard in the meadow and what was contained in Bella's letter to Billy. None of them had made the connection yet, but I could see it in their eyes when it happened. Only Embry stayed quiet in his seat, the picture of resignation. Jared leaned back and gave a long whistle.
"Okay, so let me get this straight. Your girlfriend knows the redhead is after her, but the redhead doesn't know she's left town yet? So this means we have a chance to get to her before she kills Bella! Ow!" Jared rubbed the back of his head where Emily's wooden spoon had made contact.
"Sounds about right," I said dully. I didn't correct Jared's comment about our relationship status. It was common knowledge that Bella refused to go out with me and that the rest of the pack considered us pretty much dating anyway.
"Bella's something else, that's for sure," Jared said thoughtfully. "Are we sure she's just running away though?" The entire pack turned to look at him.
"I mean, anyone in their right mind would be running like their lives depended on it," Paul scoffed. "Although she was running with vampires before so…"
"That's not what I meant, dude. Obviously, she doesn't know we can help her because Sam told Jake not to tell her about us and she called early while no one was home so we haven't been able to fill her in. But if it were me, I would be trying to find help from wherever I could. What if that's where she's going?" My heart sank. Everyone else looked confused for a half second.
"The Cullens," Embry breathed suddenly. "Right."
"Would they even help her against one of their own kind?" Paul snorted. Embry shrugged.
"But they left her," I said softly. Sam gave me a pitying look.
"Yeah, but if the choice was that or death, of course she'd pick that. The question is, does she know where they are?" I shook my head.
"I'm almost positive she didn't when she left at least. She doesn't like talking about them, but she left her computer on once and I saw a bunch of returned emails she'd tried to send to Alice Cullen. She mentioned once that they'd gone to LA but I kind of feel like that's the last place a group of vamps who like blending in with humans would go so it was probably just a cover." Sam nodded.
"So this is all well and good, but how does this affect us?" Paul asked. "We can't go looking for her or anything."
"I guess all we can do is just keep Victoria from realizing she's left as long as we can," Sam said.
"Did you guys see her out there tonight?" Paul shook his head.
"We didn't see her but there were fresh trails," Jared clarified. "She's still hanging around." Embry nodded and drained his cup of coffee.
"I guess that's that then." He said, standing up. "C'mon Jake, we're up for patrol."
Ten minutes later found Embry and I loping through the woods when suddenly Embry whirled around to face me. Dude what? My brain scrambled to think of what he had been thinking about.
Are you really just going to let Bella run around the continental US without any idea of where she's going? Whoa.
I dunno man, I don't exactly know where the leeches moved onto. Besides, I don't exactly want to give the girl I'm madly in love with the directions she needs to run back into her ex's arms.
Even if it means she winds up dead? I snarled at him, but in true Embry fashion, he ignored me. He was right though. If I truly loved Bella, wouldn't I do anything I could to help keep her safe?
Of course I would. I sighed.
Alright doofus. Where do we start? Embry barked a laugh.
There's no 'we' here dum-dum. You know how shitty I am at keeping Sam out of my head and you know he would shut this down as soon as he caught wind of this. As far as I'm concerned, nothing happened. But, he added as he turned around and started running again. If it were me, I'd start with googling Dr. Vamp.
A/N: Thanks for all the follows/favourites/reviews! They mean a lot and keep me going!