"If she's a threat to the tribe…"
Billy's words from before repeat in my mind. I never thought I was here to harm anyone and I still don't think I am. What I can remember was that I was running, possibly from something, and fell off the cliff. How does that resonate with harming the tribe? Unless, I was being chased by wolves?
I look up at Jacob, who's leading the way out of the forest back to his house. I can't imagine I was being chased by wolves - Sam and the others never mentioned any of that. They would have recognized me, and know my scent. So, what was chasing me? And why?
We reach Jacob's house just as the rain stops. My boots stick to the ground with every step I take, the mud and water almost seeping into the soles. I walk faster, trying to keep up with Jacob's long strides. He turns slightly, pausing his steps and holds out his left hand. I gently take the offer with my right hand, and then he escorts me into the house. It's quiet as we enter, and smells of sage. Billy and the three boys are nowhere in sight. I didn't think we were gone for that long.
I follow Jacob into the kitchen next to the hall that leads to three other rooms. One is Jacob's, the other Billy's, and then there is the bathroom. It's a small house with smaller rooms, but it still feels homely. Maybe it's just because this was one of the first places I remember after my amnesia kicked in.
"I am going to go get changed, do you have any clothes at the Cullens?"
I shake my head.
He frowns, droplets of water trails down his jaw and neck. "I don't have anything to offer either. I ripped through most of my clothes."
"Must be expensive."
"A little. We buy from thrift shops now, just so we don't go wasting money on new clothes that I'll just tear through."
He leaves on that note, walking down the hall and into his room which he leaves open. I turn away even though I can't see inside his room from this angle and notice thin dark marks on the living room wall. They look like lines that run along the wall to the front door.
The last moment I remember in this house before I was taken, replays in my mind. The blast that exploded from my hands - it must have left damage on the walls. I wonder how Billy explained that to Jacob since Jacob had no idea about my ability or how I left. I walk to the wall behind the television and feel that bumpy dash. No residue marks my fingers. It must have been washed but the lines still remain.
"Do you want to call them to let them know I am coming?" Jacob asks from his bedroom. "I personally don't care if they know or not. I'm coming anyway."
A quiet laugh shakes my shoulders and I shake my head at this comment. I probably should warn them if they didn't leave on good terms. I turn away from the damage and head for the telephone, I dig into my back pocket for the map and pull out a soaked piece of paper. I frown. The letters are all smudged and unreadable. I guess I am not making the call.
I throw the paper in the trash and lean against the counter.
"I can't make the call. The paper with the phone number got wet."
"I only know Bella's number," Jacob comes out of his bedroom wearing jean pants, a tight black shirt, and a brown leather jacket. He looks very handsome in this attire, giving him a slightly mysterious and tough look.
But of course, he remembers Bella's number. I wonder how much time they spent together after I left. How close they got before Edward came into the picture. I want to ask, but I don't want to sound jealous or nosy. I bite my bottom lip and look away, feeling a little shameful of the jealousy that is blooming in me. It's not like we were together - or relatively close to being together back then. Jacob and Bella had a relationship long before I came into the picture.
Jacob closes the space between us with just a couple of steps. His hand gently lifts my chin while his thumb moves my bottom lip away from my teeth. "Something bothering you?" He asks softly.
I look away with just my eyes, my chin still in his hold.
"Come on, tell me."
I sigh and look back up into his attentive eyes. "I was just wondering about you and Bella. Did you two ever get into a relationship?"
Jacob smiles slowly, showing his perfectly white and straight teeth. "Are you jealous?"
I smack his hand away and cross my arms against my chest, regretting it instantly because the cold of my damp shirt rubs off on my arms. I shiver.
He chuckles and slides his hands into his jacket pockets. "We got close but not close enough to be in a relationship. She kind of, well, left to go get Edward. Ever since then we've barely spoken and when we do, neither of us made each other very happy. I wasn't much help in that department, I often picked at her about her and Edward being together."
"It must have hurt you a lot. I know how attached you were to her."
He shrugs casually. "It did, it hurt me pretty badly. Even when I thought I had a chance, I felt resentment towards her for leaving me so easily. All I wanted was to imprint on someone, anyone just to get rid of the connection."
"I am sorry," I whisper, bowing my head. I shouldn't have brought this up. Most likely, he doesn't want to relive the memories.
He pulls out a hand and rubs the back of his neck, looking away from me. "I should tell you something."
"What?" I lift my head back up to see him more directly.
"We did kiss," he drops his hand. "Twice."
There is a small tear in my heart and I don't know why. I should have expected there to be some kind of physical intimacy and it shouldn't bother me. It was in the past, he's different now. He's imprinted. To me. He's no longer under Bella's spell. I try not to show the pain on my face, I don't want him to know that it hurt me. Not like he knew I had feelings for him, not like he knew he'd imprint on me.
His eyes examine my face, a frown forming his lips. He must have read the atmosphere, because the look in his eyes tells me he knows how I feel.
"I am sorry," I say again.
"No, no," he shakes his head. "Don't be sorry. It's natural for you to feel that way. I would be jealous if I knew you kissed some guy while you were gone."
I smile weakly. "If it makes you feel any better, I can't remember if I kissed anyone besides you, before I lost my memory."
He chuckles again, and nods his head. "It does make me feel good." He leans in and presses his lips against mine, all the warmth he musters rolls right through and into my bones. My hands lift up, skimming against his chest, and feeling the tightness of his muscles until my fingers can run along the back of his neck. I try not to push myself up against him, not wanting to get him wet from my clothes.
He pulls away to press his forehead carefully to mine, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I feel free. Like a weight has been lifted off of me. Thank you Furiae, for coming back. I don't know how much more I could have handled going through the emotions I did."
"You're welcome."
My arms tighten around Jacob's midsection, my head resting on his back, and even though my hair whips across my face, I feel the most content in a long while. Jacob speeds up, his motorbike pushing forward with no effort. My hair is almost dry and it has only been ten minutes, as for my clothes, they refuse to be anything other than damp.
We drive down a long road, empty of any other cars, as forest encroaches on one side and a river on the other. After a few more minutes, Jacob takes a right down a familiar thin road. We got to the Cullen's faster than I expected. He pulls us up to the glass house, rocks and pebbles kicking under the back tire. Coming to a complete stop, Jacob straightens his posture and turns off the bike.
He places a hand on both of mine, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hands. "You okay?" He asks.
I nod against his back, slowly lifting my head from the leather of his jacket. Hesitantly, I unwrap my arms from around his midsection and lean back. My back cracks a few times as I stretch.
I can already see Carlisle walking to the front door, his face has a pleasant smile. I wasn't expecting this. I thought they were on bad terms.
Scooting off the back of the bike, I wave to Carlisle as he opens the door. Jacob kicks the stand down and climbs off the bike, placing one hand on my back. He stays behind me, but I can feel his hand trembling against my back.
"We weren't expecting you Jacob," Carlisle nods to him. "But we welcome you."
"Ah, thanks."
"Come on in, we can go to my study," Carlisle opens the door further, and he lifts his hand towards the inside of the house.
This time, I am the one guiding Jacob. I kick off my boots before entering the house and leave them out on the deck to dry. Once inside, Bella comes around the corner, her eyes set on Jacob.
"Jacob, you came," she says with a bright smile. She steps towards us to give him a hug, but he side steps behind me. She frowns and gives me a strange look. "What? What's wrong?"
I look at Jacob from over my shoulder and see his eyes are slightly narrowed. He's not happy he's here. I turn slightly to him and grab his right hand, rubbing my thumb back and forth on the top of his skin.
"He didn't want to come."
I glance back at Bella, her eyes on our hands before they lift to pierce into my soul. She still has feelings for him. I should have expected this. Now it's going to be awkward.
"My office is up the stairs," Carlisle rounds us and heads up the stairs. I tug Jacob along but I feel him pull back. I glance at him confused to see Bella holding his left hand, keeping him there.
"What? Are you two together now?" She asks, accusingly.
Jacob snaps his hand free from her grip, his eyes narrowing even more. He's getting angry, I can feel it in the tremors from his right hand.
"Bella," Jacob tries to breathe and speak calmly but there is a hint of a hiss behind his words. "I've imprinted."
Her eyes widen, "to her?"
Now my eyes narrow. "What do you mean, to her?"
"I….I didn't."
"Just stop, Bella, before things get weird," Jacob says. He turns back to me and nods for me to continue. I look forward to see Carlisle still on the steps watching our interactions. He has a slight frown on his handsomely pale face, but he keeps professional and leads us further up the stairs.
We enter a room that is almost wall to wall of bookshelves except for the occasional space with beautiful, antique artwork hanging on the walls. There is a black couch against the wall with the door, and his desk facing the front, with large windows behind his chair.
Carlisle takes a seat in his office chair and waves for us to sit down. I step in front of the couch but don't sit. My clothes may not be soaked but they are still damp. "I don't want to ruin the couch."
"Oh, did you get stuck in the rain?" Carlisle asks.
"Yeah."
"Don't worry about it, I'll see if Alice has something in your size, please, take a seat."
Jacob closes the door and I sit on the couch, he follows and sits as close to me as he can without actually sitting on me.
"I am sure you already know that most times to get someone's memory back from amnesia it simply takes patience and time. When was the last time you had a memory come back to you?' Carlisle asks.
It doesn't take long for me to answer since I remember a memory from just last night. "I had a memory within a dream - I am pretty sure of it. It had the same woman in it from one of my memories when I was awake."
"Interesting. Did you have any memories while you were gone?"
My brows furrow as I think about it. The entire several months I was gone, that I could remember, I had no memories return to me. "No. I've only had memories return to me when I was living with Jacob and when I returned to Forks."
"Can you tell me about your latest memory?" Carlisle starts typing at his computer, probably recording what I am saying to help his study on me.
"You didn't tell me you had a memory return to you recently," Jacob whispers to me.
"We didn't breach the subject," I whisper back. I look back at Carlisle and explain to him my dream. "My father, he was blonde with short curly hair. Bright blue eyes, and athletically built. He was teaching me archery. I was maybe five or six," I bite my lip for a second as I try to recall the dream fully. "Oh! My mother said that, 'your daddy is just different from us. And that one day you'll be just as good as him.'"
Carlisle stops typing and places both his elbows on his desk, resting his chin on the tops of his hands. "That's going to be very helpful. It sounds like your father was the God."
"The God?" Jacob asks. "Because she's a demi-god? Her father was a god?"
"That's usually how it goes for demi-gods. They are born from a mortal and a god or goddess," Carlisle says with a smile. "There are many religions with demi-gods involved in them, but the most popular source to hear about them from is the Greek and Roman mythologies."
"Do you have any idea who my father could be?" I ask, sitting on the edge of the couch.
"To tell you the truth, I was brought up believing there is only one God. It's news to me that there may be others. I've studied religions and mythologies, trying to learn about our species so I know a little about both mythologies."
Jacob places his left hand against my back, rubbing it to soothe my nerves that I am starting to feel brew. It is almost like Jacob can feel my distress without me telling him about it.
"I think I have an idea of who it might be. From the light that comes from your hands that can burn even a vampire, to your description of your father. I'd like to do more research before I guarantee anything. There are many Gods with that description. As for right now, I suggest you get your hands on a bow. Practicing archery might help you relive some of your memories."
"There are sports stores in Forks, I can take you to them," Jake reassures.
"But I don't have any money," I frown, looking down at the ground. I used up the last bit of my money on the last bus ride I had taken to Seattle. I was hoping to get another job before arriving to Forks so I could take a bus here but I was stalked before I could.
"That'd be no problem," Carlisle chimes in, earning my attention. He smiles warmly. "I can help with that."