I posted! Nope, nothing is set at my new place so this fast an update is only going to be more erratic. You have been warned!
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Stephen Garrison was pretty sure he was going to get shot in the path they were taking. Of course, he knew he'd take a bullet for the brunette walking beside him but he also knew that it was only tempting in theory. The practical part of taking in a bullet was less than likely to him yet here he was, keeping to her side and stopping her from tripping and falling into the woods.
They'd left as soon as darkness fell. Bundled in jackets and holding torches that they only switched on occasionally they'd been trudging through the woods towards the reservation for hours now.
He couldn't help but feel like they were lost.
"We're lost, aren't we?" he asked.
He couldn't see her face but it was obvious she was biting her lip.
"No...I know where we're going," she muttered.
"We're lost." He said.
"We're lost." She sighed.
Billy watched as his son scarped down an entire brick of lasagna, chugging his huge glass of milk.
"I saw Sam today." He said.
Jacob nodded.
"He told me he brought Tulika around down for a visit." He continued.
Jacob's jaw slowed as his eyes flicked up to his father but then shrugged looking down again.
"Nothing you want to share, son?" Billy pushed.
"Dad, we just hung out, I swear." Jacob said finally.
"She's not to roam about freely in these lands, Jacob. She's in danger both here and in the woods. I thought we made that clear." Billy said calmly but Jacob's eyes flashed.
"Not safe here...as in with me...?" he let out a harsh laugh, "Right dad, because she is so safe with the..." his throat worked before he forced the word out, "the Cullens," he said.
Billy turned the wheelchair to look closely at his son.
"Jacob..." he began but he'd already turned crimson. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that." He said, picking at his ear. Billy raised his eyebrows.
"I see."
"If you would just stop," I hissed as I ran to keep up with Stephen's long legged stride, "Some of us have short legs, you know. Not nearly enough gears to keep up with you!" I said.
I could literally feel Stephen rolling his eyes at me.
"Fine, Short-stuff, you want me to carry you the rest of the way? Oh wait, we're lost," he said sarcastically.
I glared at him, deliberately flicking the glare of my flashlight into his eyes. "Don't be mean. It's just more difficult to find the path in the dark. If you would just let me keep the light on..."
"If I let you keep the light on we'd be shot. Now point the light on the ground and see if you can find the parallel trail." He said.
"Oh, darn this, I'm calling him." I whispered finally.
Stephen folded his arms.
"Aren't you not supposed to be in the woods alone?" he asked. "I'm not alone, I'm with you." I said.
"That isn't exactly number one defense." He said. "Plus, he'd want to come get you."
"He won't come in wolf form," I argued and he huffed in annoyance.
"Are you completely out of your mind?" Jacob yelled first thing when we made it – finally – to the beach.
"Believe me, I've been asking myself that question more times than not." Stephen muttered, making me glare at both boys. "Gee, Jake, sorry, but I thought it was my duty to come warn you that all of you people wandering about as huge wolves is going to have to be cut short a little."
"What...? Why...?" he asked.
"Rangers are going into the woods with guns, mate." Stephen patted Jacob's shoulder.
"So, you decided to walk into the woods...alone – and in the dark?" he still thundered.
"I was with Stephen." I said, folding my arms over my chest.
"So, he's your best shot at being safe in the woods at night? Nice to know," Jake sneered before cutting Steph a glance, "No offense, man," He said.
"None taken, I told her the same thing."
"So, you got more brain than her then,"
"Hey," I yelled, making their heads snap towards me. I walked furiously towards them, getting in the face of their budding bromance. "If you're done, let me tell you that Victoria is not stupid enough to wander the woods when she knows that you all will be hunting her." I said.
"You're not helping me keep my promise, T." Jake warned.
"You can't keep me safe bylocking me away. I know how to get out." I shot back, whirling around andwalking off.
Jacob and Stephen watched her stride off, kicking up the wet sand and sloshing water with her boots.
"Is she always this...?" Jacob trailed off, unable to word just what he thought Tulika was.
"Yep," Stephen nodded sagely, his voice clearly indicated he knew and had suffered through this side of her. Jacob grinned at him. "You've been with her for a long time. Longer than any of us, or even the Cullens," he mused.
Stephen shrugged; a fond look in his eyes as he gazed towards the girl in question.
"Six months is a long time." He said.
Jacob felt a slight pang as he saw the look on his face. "Tell me how it was," he said quietly. He felt sure that in the time she was away this boy had been the only thing keeping her tied to their world. He'd caught the hint of an indescribable emotion in Tulika's voice. It was the same feeling of being lost he'd felt when he'd first began Phasing, like he didn't know who he was anymore.
"She's brilliant but she has a way of grating on your nerves. She smart, clever and honestly I think it's her quick thinking that has kept us safe all this time. When we didn't have anyone in our world that would be able to help us, it was mostly her who took all the brunt. She's tougher and stronger than she looks." His voice shook and Jacob knew that whatever happened to them; it had shaken up the poor boy.
It made him wonder what Tulika had gone through. What all did she keep back?
What did she not tell him? Did she talk about it to Stephen? It didn't seem so.
Did she tell the Cullens?
Stephen watched the expressions changing on Jacob Black's face with idle curiosity.
He might not have reached out to the series again in a morbid attempt to convert back into a Twilight hater like she had but he did have some idea to why the idea of it was so popular in his world. His sister for instance, found the idea of having a vampire and a werewolf fawning for her attention extremely attractive. The thought was not at all great to him but he supposed the monsters in this world were a teensy bit better than what the psycho Meyer had made up in her book.
He looked back to where Tulika had gone, seeing the girl figured in the fire light, looking out to the sea.
He would never forget that look on her face. It was the same look she'd had for an entire month. He'd seen it in person, in pictures, videos, Skype, you name it. It made his heart ache to see it again.
He'd meant every word he'd said to Jacob.
She was an amazing person, she truly was. It wasn't some blatant need to be nice to the only person he could be normal with, it was a bare fact. She was witty, funny, and she also made you care for her. You could be beyond mad at her but you would still want to help her.
She didn't have to be a vampire to have that as a special gift, he thought wryly.
He looked away from her, not wanting to intrude on her clearly taking some time to gather her thoughts.
"So, the hiker the woman said you guys killed," he said, lightly broaching the topic.
"We were just two steps too late. We got there just in time to see her rip that man a new one – god, that was harsh – and we had to stop the hunt when she grabbed the woman too but she didn't kill her. She just whispered something in the woman's ears and took off. Seconds later, the woman screams that we killed the man and we had no choice but to run off too." He said.
"Yeah, guess I owe you an apology. I thought you were a murderer."
"Oh,"
"She didn't, she's the one who convinced me." Stephen said.
Jacob didn't answer. He just smiled tightly, a fierce look in his eyes as he probably recalled the event.
He sighed then, running a hand through his black hair.
"We need to have a meeting."
The roar of the crashing sea calmed me.
I sighed as the sea spray hit my face but I was too lost to notice the two figures catching up with me. Glad they'd given me time to cool down, I managed a weak smile at them.
"You should come with me to the meeting." Jake said immediately.
The smile slipped immediately.
"No," I said abruptly.
"What...? Since when do you say no to anything?" Jake asked.
"Didn't you hear what your dad said, Jake? I'm not allowed anywhere near the reservation or the woods. If I'm not allowed even at your house just because you all are too worried that you'll turn into huge wolves and claw me up how can I just show up at a Pack meet?"
"Sam and I aren't worried." Jacob said casually.
"Jacob," I whined.
"Look, they'll deal with it, ok?"
Correction; Embry or Quill could deal with it. I was still pretty nervous as to what Paul would do.
Well, not that I could say that out loud, I just nodded.
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