Hello, hello all you readers! I hope you are all having a great week. Maybe this latest upload will make it even better. The chapter does sort of end in a cliffhanger to leave you all in suspense. Don't forget to let me know what you think and vote! As always: enjoy!!
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“Are you sure everything is going to be okay? I mean I understand if everyone is mad at me for what I did last Thursday, especially hurting you. And I totally deserve it –,” I rambled holding onto Embry’s hand as he pulled out of my driveway and turned the car toward school.
“How many times have I told you? They won’t be mad. They know that it can be overwhelming learning all the pack secrets. Relax Mia,” he said. All last night, he had been trying to talk me down. After breakfast with his mom, we went to explore more of La Push since I hadn’t seen much of it besides the beach and Sam’s house. I had spent the whole day with him and I had never been so comfortable with another person in my whole life. It was a strange but exhilarating experience to know that a guy loves you so much and tells you so.
“You’re right. They shouldn’t be too upset seeing as we are together I guess,” I replied looking out the window. The weather was actually pretty nice out. It wasn’t raining but the sun was still behind the ever present clouds.
“What do you mean I guess?” Embry asked stealing glances at me as he drove. I had been avoiding bringing up the fact that he hadn’t officially asked me to be his “girlfriend”. I understand it comes with the territory since I am his imprint slash soul mate. Why wouldn’t we consider ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend? But when I was younger, before all the kidnapping and bitterness, I always dreamed of the whole dating thing. A guy asking me out and all. It’s silly really but I just couldn’t shake the idea.
“It’s stupid. You just hadn’t asked me to be your girlfriend and I know that I’m your imprint but it’s something that I thought about when I was younger. I know we are together. Just forget I said anything,” I mumbled training my eyes on our entwined hands. His hand was so much bigger than mine and the tan color looked nice and warm compared to the pale whiteness of my own. They mixed well together.
Embry pulled into the school parking lot and parked in his regular spot. I cut the car off and turned his body to face me. “Lamia, look at me,” he said softly. I didn’t want to because I felt embarrassed about the whole ‘ask-me-to-be-your-girlfriend’ but something in his voice made me lift my eyes to meet his. He had a small smile on his face and looked at me with such care. “It’s not stupid. I love you and even though you are my imprint, I want our relationship to be as normal as possible. If you want me to ask you to be my girlfriend, then I will. So, Lamia, will you be my girlfriend?” he asked.
I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped from my lips at how perfect of a boyfriend he was. He made me forget all about my second life and the duties that I’m bound to do. It’s not a good thing but I appreciated the feelings of normalcy it brought me.
“I would be honored,” I replied. He lifted our connected hands and placed a kiss on the back of my hand. My heart never failed to flutter at the feel of his touch. I turned my head and searched the parking lot. I spotted our friends a couple of cars down and I could see them looking at the car waiting for us to emerge. I sighed not wanting to leave this moment but knowing that I must. “I guess we better go,” I said pulling my focus back to Embry. He nodded then let go of my hand so that we could get out of the car.
Squealing reached my ears as I stepped out. I whipped my head around to see Kim running at me full speed from where the rest of the pack and Cullens were watching with amusement. I quickly moved behind Embry.
“What are you doing?” Embry chuckled trying to turn around to look at me but I held onto the back of his jacket firmly.
“Don’t let Kim get me,” I replied peeking around his side to see Kim coming to a halt in front of him. She was practically bouncing up and down on the spot. I don’t know how she can be so happy at one time. I looked past her to see the others making their way to us. I slowly crept to stand beside Embry who put his arm around my waist and gave me a kiss on the head. Kim was watching the whole exchange with a twinkle in her eyes.
“So you finally accepted everything? You’re together?” She asked looking back and forth between the two of us. Jared grabbed her hand once he reached her. They all just waited for one of us to respond. I glanced up at Embry who just shrugged and gestured for me to answer. I put my focus back on the group and a smile slipped onto my face.
“Yes we are together,” I said and before I can react, Kim throws her arms around me in a big hug. It’s surprising that I didn’t break a rib or something. The rest of the group, even the Cullens, started congratulating both of us. The guys patted Embry on the back while the girls hugged me. Embry must have seen my discomfort with all the physical contact because he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. His touch immediately affected me, causing my muscles to relax.
The bell signaling that students should start heading into the school building rang. We all said our goodbyes to go to our lockers. Embry decided to walk with me to mine first. While we were walking, I couldn’t help but notice the people staring or whispering back and forth to each other. Some of the teachers even stopped what they were doing to give us curious looks. It was very awkward.
“Just ignore them. Most people aren’t used to seeing me with anyone,” Embry said lowly so that only I could hear him. Once we got to my locker, I put my bag in it and grabbed the books for my first class.
“Really? You didn’t date much?” I asked closing my locker door. I really didn’t want to know. The thought of him with another girl cause jealousy to flow through me. It’s not like he didn’t have opportunity to date. Even as we walk down the hallway to his locker holding hands, girls were eyeing him lust. It was a pretty crazy notion that he didn’t date a lot.
“Not much. I never really found the right girl,” he replied with a smile. A smirk formed on my lips as I turned my head to look up at him.
“And what would this ‘right girl’ be like?” I asked in a teasing tone. I thought he would say something about being his imprint or something but nothing like what came out of his mouth.
“Well, she’s about average height, completely different than anyone here, my perfect match in every way, and possibly moved here about a month ago. I’m not sure if you’ve met her or not. I think you’d get along. Her name is Lamia,” he whispered in my ear. A blush appeared on my cheeks and I ducked my head, causing my hair to hide my face. Embry just chuckled at my shyness.
We reached his locker and he swiftly got his books before scooping up my hand again. The bell rang again letting everyone know that they had five minutes to get to class. Once we reached the door to my classroom, Embry pulled me to a stop.
“I’ll see you after class so I can walk you,” he said. The class was filling up behind me. I smiled up at Embry.
“You know, you don’t have to walk me to every class,” I said with a small laugh. It was a sweet gesture and I wouldn’t mind having his company but he could be late to class or get in trouble or something. I didn’t want that.
“I know,” he said with a shrug, “But I want to.” Then he leaned in and placed his lips to mine for a moment before pulling away. I was shocked at first. I glanced around to see if anyone had seen but no one had. He threw up his hand in a wave before he took off in a light jog down the hall.
I watched him until he was around the corner. I already felt colder without him next to me. I took a deep breath and entered the class just as the bell rang for the start of class. I looked at the back where two of the pack members were sitting. They spotted me then started making kissy faces and high fiving as I blushed. I rolled my eyes and sat in front of them. Hopefully the rest of the week would go as smoothly as this morning.
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And it pretty much did. Embry picked me up and took me home after school. He would walk me to every class. I told him a few more times that it wasn’t necessary but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I admire his persistence but really the whole walking to class thing was just so that he could kiss me goodbye when he left and hello when he met up afterwards. I wasn’t complaining.
People were still looking at us but the longer the week went, the more it diminished until it was just a random occurrence. I was very relieved that we were no longer the center of attention. I didn’t like so many eyes watching my every move. I had enough of that back in Volterra.
Most the time, I would convince him that I had work to do or my parents didn’t want him to come in with the house dirty so that he wouldn’t stick around my house after he dropped me off. I felt guilty about lying to him but it was something I had to do for my protection and his. However there were some days that he would take me back to his house or even out on a date.
The last few times I was at his house, his mom was very nice to me. I could tell Embry appreciated the fact that she was getting along with me. He can’t have the two most important women in his life fighting is what he told me. I can understand that. Even if I am only going to be here for a short time, I still wanted the approval of his mom.
“I’m sorry Lamia,” Embry apologized for the umpteenth time since we got to school. It was currently Friday after school. We were standing in the school parking lot. Jacob, Jared, Quil, and Seth were standing over near Jacob and Embry’s cars. They had a pack meeting to discuss new patrol routes and schedules so Embry couldn’t drive me home today.
“For the hundredth time, it’s fine Embry. I know that pack meetings are important,” I replied rolling my eyes and sending him a playful smirk. A small smile appeared on his face. The poor guy thought I was going to be upset or something because he couldn’t drive me home. Honestly, I think it’s because he doesn’t get to see me for the extra ten minutes it takes to get to my house. It should take less than that but Embry drives slower so it takes longer.
“Come on, we’re going to be late and you know how Sam is,” I heard Seth call over to us. He didn’t have to yell. We were close enough to hear him if he was talking regularlybut he found it funny. Embry held up his hand letting them know that he was coming.
“Are you sure?” he asked one final time. I pulled his hand to move him closer and pressed my lips to his. He responded right away, wrapping his arms around my body and deepening the kiss. I smiled underneath the kiss and pulled back. Embry pouted at me but I pushed him back.
“Go before I tell them to drag you,” I said with a small laugh. He pecks my lips one more time before jogging over to group of boys waiting for him. They pushed him a little, probably joking about being whipped or whatever it is they say. They climbed into the two cars and drove out of the parking lot but not before Embry could wave at me. I shook my head and waved back before starting my walk home.
The weather had been nice all week. The sun was actually out today which meant the Cullens were absent from school for the day. I’ve noticed that the temperature never gets higher than around 65. A great change from the sweltering heat in the Volturi lair.
My smile dropped from my face at the thought of my old life. Well, old life in the sense that it’s not where I’m at now. I was a different person about a month ago. I never smiled, pushed away the other human servants, and cursed the very existence of the Volturi. I wasn’t happy but who could in that situation.
Now I have friends and a guy that loves me for me. I’m not pushing people away as much and a smile is usually on my face. It’s strange looking at how much of a change it’s been for a short period of time. I don’t know if I’ve truly found who I am completely. My life is complicated but I feel that I’m as close to who I would have been if the Volturi hadn’t taken me when I’m here. What happens when I go back? Will I convert back to my previous state?
I ran my hand through my hair. I didn’t need to think about these things at the moment. It hurt too much to imagine to have to leave Embry let alone actually do it. It almost killed me to run away from him and stay away from him for a few days. When I left, I may never come back. I could possibly never see Embry again. Stop thinking about it, I scolded myself. I needed to spend the remaining time here with him and the rest of the friends I had made. I’ll deal with the consequences when the time comes.
Once I reached the house, I climbed up the porch steps. Digging in my bag, I pull out the key and stick it in the lock. But as I grabbed the knob, I found that the door was unlocked. I pushed it open gently. The lights were still off and nothing immediately jumped as out of place. I looked at the lock. There was no force entry by the looks of it but I could have sworn that I locked the door that morning.
I stand in the doorway quietly, listening for any type of movement. The hair on the back of my neck bristled at the silence that hit my ears. After a few minutes with nothing moving, I let out a breath and closed the door behind me. I dropped my bag off by the door and made my way down the hall. Rustling of papers reached my ears and I stopped. The sound had come from the living room.
Cautiously I crept towards the sound. I avoided the spots that I knew creaked and made my breathing shallow. My heart pumped hard and fast as I got closer. I thought who or whatever was in the house would be able to hear it.
I peeked my head around the opening that led to the living room. I could see the stacks of files and pictures still neatly placed on the coffee table in front of the couch. Exactly where I left them a few days ago. One thing was missing though. I didn’t see the black binder of the journal I was supposed to be keeping.
I stepped further into the room. Flicking on the light, I caught sight of movement over near the window. I turned my body in that direction and froze. There stood a figure and in its hands was my journal. My breathing hitched as I realized who it was. I took a step back as the person walked closer.
“Long time no see Lamia,” she said, the same sadistic smirk I remember so well dawning on her face. My heart almost stopped completely at knowing that she was here, in Forks, close to Embry.
“Jane.”