Rachel decided she couldn't escape him. Try as she might.
Bella tried to talk to her outside the dorm building when her and Ashley returned. She warded the girl off then, hurriedly mumbling nonsense about needing to unpack and rest.
On Monday, she skipped her chem lecture.
On Tuesday, she skipped her chem lab. Ashley let her know that Bella was looking for her. She thanked her roommate and prayed Bella would get the hint and go away.
On Wednesday, she learned it would not be that easy.
Bella and the two boys from the weekend stood outside her dormitory building. Rachel bit her lip at them, shooting over a skeptical look as she changed her trajectory to avoid them. Even when Bella called her name, she kept going. She had to.
"Rachel!" Bella jogged up to her, practically falling into Rachel while grabbing her arm. "Please wait. Please."
Rachel looked past Bella, meeting his eyes again. They weren't the same. They weren't blue. But they were in the same skull. The same shaped face. And they held the same emotion. The same care and concern he carried whenever Rachel cried any other time.
His arms weren't the same either. They weren't warm. But they felt similar. A strong, secure grip tight around her shoulders.
It loosened as soon as she started to try and back away, letting her go just as he always said he would. Rachel tried not to look at him, tried not to give her mind any validation. Her feet turned her around and she took shaky steps towards class without a word.
"Rachel." He spoke her name again. Even his voice…so similar, but so different. "Rae, please…please talk to me."
"And say what?" She snapped, turning to face him. Her tears spilled over, a couple traitors rushing down her cheeks. She was fully aware that she looked absolutely insane to Bella and Edward, but she couldn't help herself. She had to face him. Maybe it was what she needed to finally let him go.
"Say that I've gone insane? That I see you when I'm awake now too?" Rachel took a shaky breath, closing her eyes and biting her lip to stop herself from breaking down. After she regained a sliver of her composure, she opened her eyes and focused on his watery form. "You're not real, Em." She whispered. With eyes closed once more, she took another breath, and another.
He carefully placed his arms around her again, gently urging her into his grasp. "You're not crazy, Rachel. I know it feels that way, but you're not. Please let me explain. Please."
"He's right. You're not, I promise. I-I recognized him in your room." Bella mumbled, sounding a few paces closer than she had been.
"So what? You've been alive the whole time? That's what you're going to tell me?" Rachel pushed him off of her again, a whole new wave of pain crashing into her chest. "You've been lying to me – to all of us – this entire time? Forget me, your mother-"
"That's not it!" Emmett gripped her shoulders, too tight, and leaned down so he was more level with her. She looked down at his grip, wincing from it, and he immediately dropped his hands. Edward was next to Emmett in what felt like a blink, pulling him back. Emmett anxiously ran his hands through his curls. "Shit. Sorry. I…I didn't mean to. Are you alright?"
When Rachel nodded, gripping her own arms to hold herself, he sighed, "Look, it's not like that. I promise I can explain – shut up, Edward." Emmett's head snapped over to glare at the other boy. "I'm not lying to her."
"Must be a new thought for you." Rachel spat.
Emmett glanced back and gave her a little smile. She couldn't piece together his reaction until he spoke, "Can't let me off easy, can ya, Rae Rae?"
Her heart skipped in her chest. Stupidly. He lied to her. He faked his death to get away from her and hurt her and his family and his friends. She shouldn't be excited to see him. She should hate him. She did hate him.
"Please just let me explain." He whispered, taking a step closer. "Please. I-I promise I'll tell you everything. The whole truth, all of it." Emmett stopped to glare at Edward again for a second.
"I have class." She weakly protested. Weak because it didn't matter what he said next, the outcome would be exactly the same. Because she was weak. She wanted to hear his master explanation as to why he disappeared from her life the last four years. She wanted to know why he suddenly decided she was worth being with again.
But he had been right; she couldn't let him get off easy.
"Take a sick day. I-I'll help you catch up. Bella can get you notes for chemistry. Please, Rachel." Even without their familiar blue color, his eyes still melted into her heart, just like they used to.
She glanced back down at the ground, then over to Bella, who nodded encouragingly at her. Then Rachel nodded too.
"Really?" Emmett sounded surprised, though happy. Just like he had when she agreed to that first date. Rachel nodded at him again.
Emmett bobbed his head too, copying her actions with a small smile. "Come on. I promise, I'll explain everything, promise." He held his hand out to her and she took it, her hand easily slipping into his as if those years hadn't passed at all.
His cool fingers lightly squeezed hers, thumb rubbing the base of her own. Rachel wasn't sure how to feel about the gesture. It had to be a sick dream. A cruel joke. The one time she dreamt of something else, and it was somehow worse than before. The universe, or God, or the devil, or someone…dangling Emmett in front of her on a string; tantalizing.
She wasn't sure how she felt about climbing into the large Jeep he took her to. Never had she known Emmett to hurt her…though this wasn't her Emmett. Well, he was, and he wasn't. The whole thing made her head spin.
When she pinched herself, she didn't wake up.
"What was that for?" Emmett asked as he started the vehicle. His eyes analyzed the mark on her arm for a second, watching it slowly turn red before readjusting his gaze forward.
"I thought maybe I was finally having a different dream. No such luck."
Emmett rose an eyebrow at her, "What do you mean different dream? What's different?"
Rachel watched his large arms turn the wheel so he could pull out into traffic. The Jeep accelerated far faster than she was prepared for, and her body quickly sunk back into the soft fabric. Where Emmett had acquired such a nice vehicle…no, she didn't want to know. Whatever he had gotten involved in…it was best she probably didn't know.
Thoughts of the mafia or mobs in fancy suits crossed her mind. She couldn't picture Emmett among them. He couldn't be that cruel or stoic. Her Emmett couldn't have anyway.
In response to his question, Rachel shrugged, giving the obvious answer. "You." In case it was a dream, or she was talking to Emmett's ghost, she didn't want to hurt him. And if she was talking to Emmett the mob boss, she didn't want him to think her weak or put herself in danger.
He smiled softly, staring at her far longer than she was comfortable with considering he was driving. "A little bit. I'm still me though, I promise."
"You're making a lot of promises." She glanced at the road to ensure they weren't going to crash and die. When he saw her look ahead, he did as well. The car never strayed though; never had crossed either side of the lane.
"Yeah, that's true. Not any that I can't keep though. And really, it's only been two. So, it's actually not that many." He pointed out with a cheeky smile. He was trying to joke with her, but she wasn't sure she was in any mood to. When he saw she wasn't going to reply, he added, "I hope things will make more sense when I explain. They won't be any less weird – that I can guarantee – but I think it'll make more sense."
"And you explaining this means we have to go someplace special?"
Emmett pressed his lips together, shrugging his shoulders. "I think you'll believe me more if I explain it when we get there. If you'd feel more comfortable, I can explain on the way and then show you proof afterwards?"
"What do you need to prove to me? That you're not an asshole who abandoned me for the last few years? Because I wish you luck in that endeavor." Rachel snapped, crossing her arms like a defiant child as the anger took over the sadness. It worked in getting her emotions across, because Emmett's face fell and when he looked at her next it carried a weight and pain that Rachel had only seen one other time.
She broke a little then. Guilt ebbed away at her bleeding heart. Emmett said he could explain and things would make sense. Maybe that was true, and she was prematurely judging him. Maybe the mob truly had come for him. Rachel sighed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"Don't be. You have every right to be mad at me." He was too understanding. It wasn't fair. Rachel deserved more backlash, more of a fight.
She took a breath, knowing that Emmett's anger wouldn't come. It never did. "You clearly got better. You got some kind of help. Not in Gatlinburg though. Where at?"
"A girl found me, Rosalie. She…took me back to a doctor." Emmett sounded almost unsure, choosing his words carefully.
"Just a girl? She carried you?" That Rachel did not believe. She couldn't carry Emmett even with the adrenaline running through her veins. Hell, she couldn't even hardly drag Emmett to safety. If it were true, that had to be a hell of a strong girl.
Emmett confirmed as much. "She's very strong. Uh, unnaturally strong, you might say. It'll make more sense when we get there. We're almost there."
Rachel looked out at the trees flying by. Emmett's lead foot certainly hadn't changed. "Where are we going? Out to the woods where you can reenact the bear fight? Out to bury me?"
Emmett had started to laugh at the bear comment. The mood quickly became serious as Rachel's words turned dark. His golden eyes met hers again, no hint of jest behind them. "Rachel, I could never hurt you. I will never hurt you." He let the weight and unspoken promise set in a moment before cheekily adding, "The bear fight, however. That could be done."
"Yeah, let's not test your luck again, okay?" Her luck, Emmett would actually die or whatever the hell happened to him.
"Nah, it's alright." Emmett gave her another bright smile. "Bears can't hurt me now."
Rachel scoffed, a half laugh coming with it. "Bears can't hurt you now? What are you one with the bears now? Their coven leader or something?"
Emmett laughed, just as loud and booming as Rachel remembered it. "One with the bears…I like that. Not quite. Again, easier to explain once we're there."
"How much longer?" She asked, once again taking in the greenery. How far had they gone from Seattle? Surely the city didn't have that many trees. It almost reminded Rachel of the drive to Port Angeles, but surely, they'd hadn't gone that far in such a short amount of time.
She glanced at the speedometer and quickly looked away. Or maybe they could.
As discreetly as possible, she tugged on the seatbelt to tighten it a little. Even though Emmett hadn't looked her direction, he reminded her, "I'm not going to hurt you. I won't let anything happen to you."
Rachel wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing. Instead, she tried piecing together Emmett's big secret. One with the bears and golden eyes. God of nature? That seemed unlikely. Emmett could be a bit…unfiltered.
He underwent torture and was used as a test subject for medicine or radioactivity or…something else that was weird and dangerous? That might explain the strange eye color.
"Trust me?" Emmett asked as he slowly pressed the brake. As far as Rachel could tell, there wasn't any where for him to pull into to. No driveway or road in sight.
She shot him a weary look and shrugged. "We all gotta die sometime, right?"
"I won't hurt you. I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me." He whispered, shooting her a little smile.
"Look, I'm not trying to be mean, but understand my situation. It's a little hard for me to trust you when you've been lying to me for the last umpteen years."
Emmett's smile faltered as he turned into the woods. Through the tall grass were faint tire marks, hardly visible to Rachel. She briefly wondered how Emmett found such a place. Then she remembered that Emmett somehow knew all the hidden little gems of places to see…that's what had gotten them into the mess they were in. "It was supposed to happen that way – you thinking I was dead. Once you're changed, you have to disappear. It's too strange if you don't. Well, and you could hurt people.
"I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again. I thought you'd move on and have a little family…husband and some babies. Obviously not as cute as McCarty babies," Emmett winked to try and lighten the mood. Joking was absolutely his coping mechanism. "but still pretty damn cute. It wasn't until Bella said she met you in class that I thought maybe it didn't have to be that way. That we could still be together."
"Does Bella know? What's…different about you?" She was definitely leaning towards mob boss then. Faking his death because they couldn't be together? Classic mobster movie plot, right?
Emmett nodded, "Yeah, Edward told her last year. But for some reason, when I wanna tell someone, it's bad and not allowed." He rolled his eyes and parked the Jeep. They still weren't anywhere Rachel would think of when she considered a nice place to tell someone a secret. It appeared they were out in the middle of nowhere, completely surrounded by trees on all sides. No path, no clearing, nothing. Maybe that's what made it the best place to tell a secret. No wires, no cameras, no bugs.
Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt. When she looked up to grab the door handle, she saw Emmett was already next to her with the door open. Her eyes darted to the empty driver's seat for a moment before looking back at him. Apparently human test subject was more accurate.
She furrowed her brows as she contemplated the new development but took Emmett's hand anyway. He was so cold that she worried about not having a jacket. Maybe she'd freeze to death and Emmett wouldn't have to worry about telling her.
After she steadied herself on the ground, Emmett released her hand and gestured out in front of them. "Ready?"
With a simple shrug she said, "I guess." It was hard to prepare when she wasn't sure what to prepare for.
"Just remember, I won't hurt you, okay? I promise."
Having him say it so many times only made her more nervous. What was up with him that she'd think he'd hurt her? Was he going to turn her to stone? Drink her blood? Slash her up with claws? Actually…that last one might fit. He was 'one with the bears now.'
"You turn into a bear?" The guess came out quickly; only partially because she was nervous though. Most of her haste was because she wanted to get the big secret out of the way.
Emmett chuckled, "I wish! That'd be badass. No, but I am fast and strong now. Too strong for a bear to hurt me. Too strong for anyone but other vampires to hurt me, actually. So, no more trying to hit me, okay?"
Rachel's mind briefly flashed to the play nudges and astonished whacks to the arm she gave Emmett…well, constantly. He was often sassy and said whatever was on his mind whether it was socially acceptable or not. Rachel wasn't far behind him, but it seemed he had less limits than she did-…wait. "Other vampires?" Rachel exclaimed, taking a step back from him.
His head snapped over to her, eyes wide for a moment before they dashed up to the sky and finally closed in frustration. He thought for half a second before muttering, "Shit." When he opened his eyes, Emmett held his hands up, also taking a step back, "Okay, not how I wanted to do that. But remember, I won't hurt you. I promised."
She burst out laughing. Like, really, truly, laughing at him. Her body folded in, stomach aching slightly from the contraction of her ab muscles. It was too…unrealistic. Rachel hadn't been valedictorian, but she wasn't stupid or naïve. "A vampire?" She giggled again. "That's what you want me to believe? You're a vampire now?" She wiggled her fingers as she asked the second question, a playful smile on her face. More laughs escaped her, and she wiped at her eyes, "Somehow, radioactive testing being done on you is more believable than vampire. You don't even have red eyes. Or fangs. And it's daytime. Don't you like…die or something?"
"Myths." Emmett shrugged. He took her reaction well, not appearing offended at all. "I don't have red eyes because we don't drink humans-"
Rachel dropped her hip, "Really? What kind of vampire doesn't drink humans?"
"Vegetarian ones." Emmett told her with a grin. "That's what we call ourselves. It's a family joke."
"Family joke? So, Edward…"
"Is also a vampire. And so is Rosalie, the girl who saved me. And Carlisle, the doctor she brought me to. There's also Esme, Carlisle's wife, and Jasper and Alice, a couple of vampires who found Carlisle and Esme in the fifties."
Rachel took a slow, calming breath. She closed her eyes and shook her head. If it was a dream, it was one hell of one. "So…normal vampires do drink people? Or all vampires can't drink people?"
"No, normal vampires drink humans. But we don't like to. We drink animals instead. The animal blood turns our eyes gold."
"So you could drink me?" Rachel pointed to herself. Why did the question fall so effortlessly from her lips? She was talking about dying. By Emmett's hands. His large, cold, vampire hands.
Emmett, for his part, seemed far more uncomfortable than Rachel did. He gave her an uncommitted shrug, "I guess. Yeah. If I wanted to – which I don't."
"You've never had human blood?"
He glanced down at the ground, peeking up at her with a solemn expression. "I didn't say that…. The first year is…hard."
Rachel's mood dropped with Emmett's face. She bit her lip, unsure exactly how to comfort him. "I'm sorry, Em." Was that an appropriate thing to say? Should she apologize to him? Was that an insult to the person who died?
"It was my fault, obviously." He rolled his eyes at himself. "She looked like you and I got too close and…" Emmett took a breath, shaking his head, "I don't need to bother you with that. Sorry. I just…I don't want you to think I did it for fun or because I wanted to. It was an accident and I feel bad about it. I'm not- it wasn't like that."
Rachel nodded. "I know." That she could say. Emmett wasn't cruel. He never had been. Sure, he was huge and didn't know his own strength sometimes, but Emmett was never intentionally mean or hurtful.
She took another breath, fiddling with her ring before taking a step closer. "So, how does this work? Should I ask before I give you a hug? Or do I just go for it? Does it depend if you're…hungry?"
Emmett exhaled a chuckle, his saddened mood slowly forgotten as he closed the gap between them and gave her a tight hug.