Callas picked up her bag from her bed, making sure that Embry's jumper was inside before she walked out of her room, closing the door, and made her way down the stairs. Jacob was sitting down on the sofa while Zeus was laying his head on his lap. Silas was reading the newspaper, occasionally looking up to ask Jacob a question about how school was and how his family was doing. Anya was in the kitchen, talking to Reed, while finishing up their lunches. When she got off the last step, Jacob turned around and offered her a warm smile. She smiled back, but she wasn't sure if it looked more like a grimace than an actual smile. Reed walked out of the kitchen, handing Callas the bag with her lunch, kissing the top of her head before he made his way out of the house. Jacob stood up and looked at Callas.
'Don't worry, Callas, I'll get to what he and his friends are soon enough.'
She had no idea what that meant. What were Embry's friends, if not just normal people? Were they vampires or immortals as well? What was Jacob? Could she trust them now that the Wight had just claimed that they weren't normal boys? Could this all be just some practical joke? Whatever it was, it wasn't funny, and Callas was certainly not entertained or enjoying it. If they were behind all of it then she couldn't tell them about it, they'd make fun of her or make her feel even more insane by stepping up their game. Jacob had a look on his face as he watched her, Silas had a similar look. Maybe it was because she looked like she had just seen a ghost, or maybe it was because she had just been staring at Jacob suspiciously trying to figure out what it was that the Wight had actually meant. Why had he called Embry a mutt? Was it possible that Embry wasn't all that human as well? Or even all the boys?
"Ready?" No.
She shrugged. "I don't really have a choice."
"I know." He nodded, a pitiful expression broke out on his face.
Before she left, she quickly walked into the kitchen to hug Anya goodbye, thanking her for the lunch before she made her way over to Silas to hug him goodbye as well. Callas patted Zeus on the head before she followed Jacob over to the front door. Was it so hard for her to just have a normal day? Callas tried to shake the feeling of being constantly watched as they walked out of the house. Whatever sick joke was going on, she had enough of it. She wasn't sure how it was being done, but when she found out there was going to be hell to pay. She wasn't going to allow someone to walk free after tormenting her. There was going to be payback. A small beep pulled her away from her thoughts, she looked up to the vehicle. Jacob had brought his truck instead of the motorbike.
Callas raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'll live this time."
"You didn't die before." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head at her as he leaned against the bonnet of the truck.
"I did on the inside."
"Ha, ha. Just get in the truck." He shook his head with a light laugh, opening his door to sit inside.
Callas grinned at him, opening the door to the passenger's side before she got in. Just play along, if it is a practical joke that they are all in on, then play along, Callas thought to herself. Jacob turned on the engine, the warmth from the heater flooded the small area where they sat. It wasn't uncomfortable, but she just assumed that Jacob didn't need a heater with how warm he already was. She looked out the window as he reversed, turning the truck around before he drove down the road. Callas had her bag on her lap as she watched the houses disappear one by one as the truck drove closer to the main road. The weather wasn't as warm as it was when she first arrived in La Push, but it wasn't snowing yet, so that was a good thing. Jacob snorted a laugh to himself, Callas looked over to him with a raised eyebrow.
"Isn't that Embry's jumper?"
She looked down to her bag and saw the fabric stick out. "Yeah."
"Why do you have his jumper?"
"Kinda stole it."
Jacob laughed again. "First you steal his heart now his jumper," he mumbled to himself, but she still heard him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well," he started, his mouth hung open as he thought of something to say.
"Jake?"
"He likes you." He shrugged.
"Don't you? Aren't we friends?"
Jacob pulled a face. "Not the way he likes you."
"What way does he like me?"
"He's taking you on a date, isn't he?" Callas didn't reply. Embry didn't like her the way she liked him, did he? Surely, it wasn't possible, they hardly knew each other. She wasn't even sure why she liked him the way she did. "I'm rooting for you two, so don't screw this date up," Jacob commented, pointing his finger at her, keeping his eyes on the road.
Callas rolled her eyes, slapping his hand away before punching his shoulder. She wouldn't admit it but she was sure that she hurt herself more than she did him. As she pulled her fist away, shaking her hand to try and take the pain away, Jacob smiled and shook his head at her. Her eyes glared at him before she sat back on the chair, looking straight ahead to the road. A few other cars were along the road. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jacob rub his shoulder before he opened his mouth to complain.
"No hitting the driver. I could crash because of you."
Callas snorted. "You would end up crashing regardless of what I do. You're a terrible driver. Also, your reflexes are very slow today."
Jacob pouted. "Why don't you drive then? See if you're any better."
"I don't know how to drive. I don't have my license. You do. So, what's your excuse?"
"Okay, that's fair. Maybe I'll teach you one day."
"I'd rather have Reed teach me to drive."
"Why not your best friend?"
Callas raised an eyebrow. "Henry doesn't know how to drive either."
"What?"
"You asked about my best friend."
"I'm your best friend."
"No, you're not."
"That sounds like a lie." Jacob huffed before changing the subject, "Do you know where Embry is taking you for your date?" Callas noticed he had a smirk on his face.
"The cafe."
He nodded to himself, smiling still. Soon, Jacob pulled into the parking lot of the school. He parked next to another truck and got out of the car. Callas let out a small sigh, trying to prepare herself for the school day. She opened the door to the truck and flinched. Jacob was standing there with a wide grin on his face. She looked at him weirdly before she got out of the truck and closed the door. Jacob wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her along to the other truck next to his. The other boys were leaning against the truck. Embry noticed her and smiled shyly, moving to stand next to her while Jacob moved to greet the others. Their shoulders were touching as they stood in silence. Neither of them knowing what to say.
"Callas!" Seth grinned widely at her, pulling her into a hug. She choked on a cough, shocked at how strong Seth's grip was around her.
"Hey, Seth," she managed to choke out before he pulled away with a light blush on his face.
"Sorry if I broke a few ribs of yours," he apologised with a small laugh.
Callas shook her head. "It's okay."
"Isn't that Embry's jumper?" Seth commented loudly, as he pointed to her bag, the other boys looked over to them, more interested in her than their previous conversations. Callas opened her mouth as she pulled it out of her bag.
"Uh, yeah. I accidentally forgot to return it earlier." She handed it back over to Embry.
He chuckled, taking it from her. "So, that's where it went."
"Sorry," she mumbled quietly, a faint blush spread across her face.
Embry shrugged and put it in his bag. "It's fine."
The bell began to ring from inside the school. Henry wasn't in today either, he would have texted her to let her know that he was coming in. She had P.E. first with Quil and Jared. Callas waved goodbye to the others while walking into school with Quil and Jared towards the girls' locker room. They told her they'd see her outside and walked off to their locker rooms as she walked into hers. A few other girls were already inside, some just on their phones while others were getting dressed. Callas opened up her locker and placed her bag inside, taking out her running clothes and shoes. For the first time, it didn't smell like strong perfume or body spray, although she knew that when she walked back in after the lesson she would be met with a cloud floating around the top of the room.
When Callas finished getting dressed, she walked back outside, glad that she had a long-sleeved shirt and jacket on. She walked up to the boys and crossed her arms over her chest. The Coach grinned at her, nodding his head, glad that she was back, before telling them to run some laps. Quil and Jared tried to slow the other down as they took off running. Callas began to jog, allowing herself to fall into a gentle rhythm along the track. Up ahead, she could see the boys pushing and shoving each other as they picked up the pace. She shook her head with a chuckle when they began to yell at each other that the other was cheating. The Coach rolled his eyes and sat down on the benches, drinking from his thermos and eating a protein bar.
From the distance, away from the school grounds in the tree line, near the field, Callas saw a figure standing there. Wanting to ignore it, she kept her gaze in front of herself as she ran. It wasn't as if the Wight could try anything while there were witnesses around. But if it was the Wight, and it did want to take her, it would probably be able to do it without anyone noticing. The Wight did have a strange speed to it. Maybe he was a vampire, she jokingly thought to herself. It was silly to believe that vampires were even real. They were just stories people told. They weren't real. Callas shook her head, continuing to run before a voice echoed in her head.
'Don't you remember me?'
Callas wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, or how it was in her head when no one around her was talking to her. She did notice, however, that it sounded an awful like the Wight when it had threatened her in the woods. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. A shiver ran through her body that wasn't caused by the cold air around her as she ran. She remembered it from the trail, but that was all. She couldn't understand how else she was meant to remember it or from where else. Her nightmares? It didn't make sense to her.
'It's rude if you have forgotten a good friend like myself.'
Another thing that didn't make sense to her was why it concluded that they were friends. Friends don't do that to one another. She definitely knew that friends weren't strange phantom-like figures who haunt each other. Callas wasn't sure why it was doing this to her. Why the Wight had chosen her as a victim. Did it want to drive her to insanity? If so, then it was doing a good enough job. The notes and sightings were enough to make her want to check into a psychiatric hospital. The cold air cut against the skin of her cheeks, it was the only thing that brought her out of her thoughts. But she still heard the echoing in her mind.
'Friend.'
'Friend.'
'Friend.'
No. Callas thought harshly. She wasn't going to fall victim to her vivid imagination. That was all it was. Her imagination. When she looked back towards the tree line, the figure was gone. All she wanted was for the nightmare to be over. Hopefully, none of this was going to happen during her date with Embry. Callas desperately hoped that it would go well, that she would have a normal afternoon with no horrifying Wight staring at her from across the way. She wasn't going to let it ruin her date. She wouldn't let it have that much power over her.