❄ 30 ❄ Imprint ❄
First Beach, La Push
Wednesday, May 18, 2017
Screams and shrieks of laughter echoed across the black sands of First Beach as children and parents played together or laid about on towels. Embry Call inhaled deeply, reveling in the musky scent of wet sand and the salty spray of the blue-gray ocean. Children of various ages ran past him, giggling and teasing each other as he slowly ambled down the sandy beach, taking in the sights of colorful umbrellas and picnic baskets waiting to be rummaged through, its contents eaten. Two dark-haired boys raced past him suddenly as he neared the empty strip of beach. The first boy turned towards the second and grinned at him mischievously, his dark eyes sparkling in his brown face.
"Catch me if you can, Mishael!" He called teasingly to his identical twin brother.
The boy called Mishael released a low rumbling growl that made Embry look at them both twice before chasing after his brother and tackling him halfway down the beach. The breeze changed direction slightly as he watched them wrestle a few yards away. A warm, woodsy scent that seemed rather familiar filled his senses and he stared at twins in shock. The first boy rolled from underneath his brother and pushed his head into the sand before springing up and racing down the beach, laughing hysterically.
"Zephon!" Mishael growled furiously as he jumped to his feet and raced after his brother.
Zephon laughed again and ran further down the beach with his brother hot on his trail, snarling and growling as they both disappeared from view around the bend. They're Shapeshifters! Embry thought to himself, slightly awed and perplexed at the same time. He continued walking, debating on whether to tell Jacob of this new circumstance. He paused on a bare stretch of sand and sat down in a warm patch of sunlight, gazing out over the calm, blue-gray waves of the ocean, letting his mind empty itself of thoughts. Sunlight glistened on the small waves as they brushed against the sandy beach, seagulls screamed as they swoop down to pluck unsuspecting fish from the sea.
Embry glanced up and down the beach and saw children running to their parents as they called for lunch. He sighed heavily and looked away morosely, staring across the water again. A patch of black hair emerging from the water caught his attention suddenly. He watched with mild interest as a body followed the head from the water. He blinked, stunned, as a girl emerged completely from the water, wringing her long black hair as she made her way up towards the beach.
The shrieks of laughter and screams died away suddenly, along with the cawing of the seagulls and the hiss of the waves. The salty air stopped blowing as sunlight flashed brightly, illuminating the girl before him. Even the sand beneath his feet felt like air. He stared, entranced, as the girl reached the beach finally. She was tall and slim with long black hair hanging down her back to her waist. She was wearing a black two-piece bikini with a matching sarong, which she proceeded to tie around her hips.
She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, besides the Cullen and Denali women, which didn't count because they were all vampires. The girl looked up the beach at him suddenly, her warm hazel eyes full of curiosity. She paused, her mouth dropping open, as she continued to stare at him. His dark brown eyes glued to hers, Embry rose slowly to his feet. They both stood completely still, staring at each other. After a few seconds of staring at him, she dropped her eyes as her eyebrows furrowing in frustration.
A strange feeling suddenly coursed through his body and he yearned to go to her, to comfort her. He inhaled a deep breath as realization washed through him; he'd imprinted on her. The girl looked up at him again and he could see the relief shining in her deep hazel eyes. She smiled shyly as she walked towards him. Suddenly feeling rather awkward, he straightened up to his full height of six feet three inches.
Keep your cool, Call. He coached himself inside his head as he watched her coming closer and closer to him. She stopped in front of him and craned her head backward to look up at him because he was a bit taller compared to her five foot nine inches. She stared at him intently for a few seconds before extending her hand.
"Hi, I'm Genesis." She introduced herself to him.
Embry took her hand into his own to shake and a warm feeling suddenly spread throughout his body. Genesis gasped suddenly and her warm hazel eyes widened as she stared up at him in shock. He stared back at her in equal shock. He had never witnessed anything like that, except in the minds of his pack members when they reminisced about the times they had imprinted on their soul mates. They both stared at each other for a few more minutes until he suddenly remembered his manners.
"I'm Embry, Embry Call." Embry introduced himself with a stutter.
She cocked her head to the side as she stared up at him curiously.
"Embry? One of Jacob's friends?" She asked him quietly.
His curiosity piqued, he nodded his head in answer to her softly spoken question.
"Oh my God... Mom's been so worried. Where is he? Is he okay?" She rambled, her eyes glowing with concern and a hint of anger.
"He's fine," Embry replied slowly, confused by her words. "He's married, got a kid on the way. How do you know Jacob?"
Genesis, who was looking down the beach at a pair of boys wrestling, turn her warm hazel eyes onto him, a slight smile forming on her lips.
"My mother is Rebecca Sosene, one of Jacob's elder sisters." She explained to him. "Aunt Rachel has been living on the Rez with Uncle Paul and their son and hasn't heard from Uncle Jacob in six years. Mom's been back for almost a month and she's worried. She will be so relieved to hear that Uncle Jacob is okay. Do you say he's expecting a child? I suppose he's married to Bella's daughter, Nessie. Cool."
He stared at her stunned silence. She was related to Jacob, her mom was Rebecca Sosene, Rachel's doing fine with Paul and she's been living here for over a month. A flash of resentment at having her so close under his nose with the human-into-vampire thing going on at the Cullen house in Forks, not to mention the arrival of Wren and Rhys. Embry suddenly felt a small warm hand on his arm and looked down into Genesis' concerned hazel eyes.
"Is everything alright?" She asked him quietly.
He forced a smile on his face and nodded his head at her minutely.
"Yeah." He replied a bit curtly.
Genesis frowned suddenly, her sable eyebrows lowering over her eyes as she did.
"You look a bit resentful." She told him intuitively.
He shook his head at her before answering. "It's nothing."
Genesis stared up at him for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders and gazing back down the beach at a set of. The two boys were no longer wrestling; in fact, one was trying to drown the other in the ocean. Without thinking it through, Embry sprinted down the beach and reached the boys in seconds, pulling them up and away from each other.
"Zephon Jacob Sosene and Mishael William Sosene, explain yourselves." She hissed as she stopped next to him and grasped each boy by an arm.
The twins both glared at each other but didn't answer her. She released a low, rumbling growl that made boys cower slightly.
"Zephon was teasing me," said Mishael at once.
"No, I wasn't!" Zephon countered as he glared at his brother.
"Yes, you were!" Mishael shouted back at him. "You were teasing me about your phasing first as usual!"
"Well, it's true!" Zephon yelled back at his twin. "You're just mad because you were born second and you phased second!"
Mishael growled low in his throat as he prepared to tackle his brother for a second time that afternoon. Zephon crouched suddenly, ready for his attack.
"Enough fighting or we're going home!" Genesis shouted suddenly, shaking the twins.
The twins both looked up at her, their chestnut brown eyes wide with horror.
"We don't want to go home!" They both whined in unison.
"Straighten up your act or we will!" She snarled, gazing sternly down at her brothers.
The twins both glared up at their sister before grumbling their agreement. Genesis released a heavy and ran her fingers through her long, black hair. The boys both gazed up at her, waiting for her verdict.
"Okay. Go and play nicely or suffer the consequences." She said, motioning them away from her and Embry.
The twins both released bellows of glee and raced off down the beach, laughing and catcalling to each other. Genesis smiled lightly as she shook her head, watching her brothers go before turning her attention back onto Embry.
"Those boys. I'd thought they'd grow out of the Terrible Twos stage but it seems like it has stuck with them for life. They're almost twelve and they're still little hooligans." She explained to him, chuckling slightly.
He smiled along with her as they both turned and walked down the beach in the twins' wake, saying nothing. He glanced out over the waves. Parents and their offspring were now swimming in the warm ocean, sunlight glistening off their wet skin like thousands of diamonds. A fresh, warm breeze blew off the water and caressed his face, the scents of sun-dried seaweed and salt filling his senses. Genesis sighed softly and took his hand into hers.
Once again the warm feeling coursed through him again. He turned his head slightly to looked at her. She was gazing out over the sea, apparently thinking or reminiscing about something.
"I love the sea." She said suddenly. "I've always had. My father used to take my brothers and me out on the ocean to fish or go diving, whichever suited his mood best."
She trailed off slowly, smiling softly at the memories in her mind. Embry remained quiet, waiting for her to continue. A silence filled with laughter and screams passed by with both of them gazing out to sea.
"What was he like?" He asked her suddenly. "Your father?"
Genesis turned around to face him with a sad smile playing across her lips.
"Mom always said that he was a mixture of Grandpa Billy and Uncle Jacob, so serious yet warm and carefree at the same time." She explained to him, an inner light shining in her warm, hazel eyes.
Having known Billy Black and Jacob nearly all his life, he could sort of agree with her words. Billy was the rock of the tribe while Jacob had been the sun.
"Mom says that Ephraim and I had taken on his characteristics in some ways. She says that Ephraim was her sun and I was her rock. I'll love her for the rest of my life for saying that to me." Genesis spoke again, her eyes shining with tears of love and gratitude.
"What happened to him?" Embry asked her softly.
There was a brief pause and he could see the sadness glossing over her features as she turned away from him.
"He died while out on the ocean." She replied softly. "There was a terrible storm one day and he never came back. They found his boat offshore. He didn't stand a chance. Mom nearly went crazy with grief. Ephraim, the twins, and I had phased with all the turmoil whirling within us. That was the first time we ever felt free."
Horror clawed through his body at the sound of the hurt, sadness, pain, and relief in her voice as she spoke. He stepped closer to her and took her hand in his own. Genesis looked up at him, tears swimming in her hazel eyes.
"I'm so, so sorry." He whispered to her sincerely.
He could almost understand what she was going through at this very moment. His own mother had been from the Makah Reservation and his father had left before he was born. His mom almost went crazy with grief until someone, a distant cousin, from the La Push Reservation had taken her in and took care of her. Embry had suffered through his emotions for most of his life and was often depressed because he thought his father hadn't wanted him and that he'd left his mother for that reason alone. Then he'd met Jake and Quil and he had forgotten all about his father and his abandoning him and his mother.
"It's alright," Genesis said, drawing him back to the present.
"I can't comprehend what you were going through at the time." He said softly.
"Embry." She said, taking his face between her hands and forcing him to look down into her eyes. "Everything's fine. We got through it with the help of one another and we've never been grateful for it bringing us all closer together. Mom arranged everything and we moved down here to be closer to family. We're fine now."
He stared down at her, searching for the truth in her warm hazel eyes. When he saw her sincerity shining out at him, he sighed heavily and nodded his head slowly in agreement. Genesis smiled at him warmly and pat one of his cheeks before releasing him.
"Enough about me and my worries and characteristic similarities to the men in my family." She said brightly. "Tell me about you."
Embry smiled back at her warmly, grateful that she was happy despite what she had to go through. They continued walking, comfortably quiet, and acutely aware of one another's presence. He pondered on what to tell her about his life on the Rez and with the Cullens.
"Gen!" Zephon's voice carried down the beach, drawing their attention.
Embry and Genesis both glanced up the beach and saw him running towards them with his twin and an elder boy following close at his heels.
"Zephon, Mishael, Ephraim." She said their names curiously as she and Embry stopped walking.
The twins both came to a stop before them, panting slightly. Embry stared at the elder boy, who was obviously Ephraim Black but he seemed rather familiar. Suddenly it hit him, he resembled Jacob quite a lot. He stared at the other boy, shocked, as he looked from him to his sister and back again, his warm hazel brown eyes curious yet cautious.
"Genesis," Ephraim said her name, looking at her for an explanation.
"Oh." She said, a blush forming across her cheeks. "Ephraim, this is Embry Call, one of Uncle Jacob's friends. Embry, this is my twin brother Ephraim Black."
Ephraim and Embry both nodded their heads to each other in greeting. He then turned his hazel eyes back to Genesis, they were filled with concern and a hint of fear. She, reading his expression, inhaled sharply.
"Is it Mom?" She asked him and Ephraim nodded his head in the affirmative.
"She's going into labor." He replied. "Grandpa Billy has driven her into town. He said he was taking her to Dr. Cullen."
Genesis nodded her head in understanding and began ushering the younger twins down the beach. She paused briefly and then turned back to Embry.
"I'm sorry but I have to go. I'll see you later?" She said with an apologetic smile.
He nodded his head in understanding and she smiled in relief before ushering her brothers down the beach to the parking lot. Ephraim cast another curious yet reproaching look Embry's way before following after his siblings. Embry watched in concern as brothers and sisters collect their things before racing up the beach towards the parking lot. Before she climbed into the car behind her brothers, Genesis turned around and smiled and waved at him. He smiled and waved back at her, feeling the happiness the moment he'd met her starting to fade and give way to anxiety.
She then turned away and climbed into the passenger seat next Ephraim, who cast him another warning look before driving away. Embry turned and walked back down the beach to the line of trees near the cliffs.
❄
Embry raced towards the trees surrounding the clearing in which the Cullen house stood. He paused behind a line of trees to phase, pulled on a pair of cutoff jean shorts, a plain brown shirt, and his tennis shoes, before walking into the clearing. He jumped the river smoothly and ambled towards the house slowly, the day's events whirling around inside his head. He reached the front door and opened it, stepping into the house. Bella was the first to look up at him and did a double-take, her golden eyes widening as she took in his windswept hair. Jacob, following his best friend's wide-eyed gaze, stared at him intently.
"Where have you been?" He asked Embry, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
They all looked at him and then turned their curious eyes onto Embry. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and walked across the living room to the staircase, deciding right then and there to go up to his bedroom, hoping to avoid the curious looks on everyone's faces and the shower of questions that was surely to follow afterward.
"It smells like he's been to the beach." Emmett, the dolt, informed everyone with his dark brows furrowing with confusion, probably wondering why he'd gone to the beach of all places.
Embry's heart began pumping furiously inside his chest as he quickened his footsteps and reached the bottom of the stairs before Edward spoke, stopping him in his tracks.
"Embry." He said and the other boy looked around to meet his serious golden gaze. "You might as well tell them before they all tackle me for information."
Embry frowned at the vampire darkly, recognizing the truth and advice in the other boy's words, and then nodded his head slowly in resignation. He turned back around to face the room completely, noting all the curious gazes looking from him to Edward and back, and sighed heavily in defeat. Come on, Call, there's no need to be shy. He thought to himself gloomily before speaking.
"I've imprinted on someone." He mumbled quickly, knowing everyone could hear him clearly with their enhanced hearing.
There was a moment of silence before the vampires, the wolves, and the half-breeds began speaking all at once.
"What?" Jacob, Seth, Quil, and Leah all shrieked in unison, their faces showing their shock at his unexpected news.
"That's great!" Bella, Nessie, Esme, and Carmen all gushed, expressing their glee for him.
"Who is she?" Alice, Rosalie, Kate, Tanya, and Elle asked together, voicing their growing curiosity.
"Way to go, bro!" Emmett, Garrett, and Jasper all said in unison, releasing their relief.
"I'm sure she's a lovely young woman and has accepted you for who you are," said Eleazar, voicing his sincerity.
Embry didn't reply, looking around the living room and taking in everyone's expressions. His pack brothers and sister were all frozen in shock as they stared at him with their mouths hanging open. Carmen, Esme, Nessie, and Bella were all beaming at him and they looked extremely happy at the good fortune of finding his imprint after all this time. He smiled back at them weakly.
Elle, Tanya, Kate, Rosalie, and Alice were all gazing at him expectantly, waiting for him to answer their question. Jasper, Garrett, and Emmett were all grinning at him, also happy that he'd finally found his mate. He grinned back at them, a warm, happy feeling spreading through his body at the realization that he had found his imprint finally sank into his brain. Eleazar was watching him calmly, waiting for him to explain.
"Yeah, she's cool," Embry mumbled again in reply, answering Eleazar first. "And she already knows."
Everyone gazed at him in stunned silence, his brothers all looked at each other warily.
"What do you mean by that?" Leah snarled at him, rising to her feet.
"She's a Shapeshifter." He replied, anger coursing through his body at her reaction to his great news.
Wren, who had remained silent up until this point, stepped forward suddenly and placed herself firmly between Embry and Leah. She turned a stern look onto Leah as she spoke.
"Let him explain." She told her quietly.
The other girl glared at her for a few seconds before she sat back down in her chair. Wren turned to look at Embry, nodding for him to continue. He gave her a small smile before speaking again.
"Her name is Genesis Scene and her mom is your eldest sister, Jake," Embry said quietly, glancing at him cautiously.
Jacob stared blankly at him and Embry hurried on to explain.
"They've been living in La Push for a month. They moved there when their father died. Rachel told them that she hadn't heard from you in six years." He said, feeling suddenly sheepish.
Everyone turned to look at Jacob, curious about his reaction to this particular information. He dropped his gaze to the floor, obviously feeling guilty.
"Where are they now?" He asked, speaking to his knees.
"They're at the hospital. Rebecca went into labor. Billy took her to Carlisle." Embry answered him.
Jacob jumped to his feet, looking extremely concerned and he strode quickly across the living room to the front door. Nessie got to her feet and hurried after him, followed closely by a concerned Bella, Esme, and Carmen.
"Where are you going?" She asked her husband worriedly.
"To the hospital," Jacob replied shortly.
"We're coming with you," Bella informed him.
"Fine." He snapped at her, looking extremely agitated.
Edward got to his feet next and crossed the room to Bella's side. Jacob jerked open the door and stalked out of the house with Bella, Nessie, Esme, and Edward all following behind him as Embry took the rear. They all climbed inside Edward's silver Volvo as he started the engine and sped off down the driveway.
❄