Bright gold fades
To worlds of dusk
Shimmers and chips,
Known as your hair
We will breathe on,
In the land of whispering woods
The rain fell in gentle waves, soft rain, sweet rain, an amiable hurricane. Tentative drops fell onto my face, rolling down the bridge of nose and dripping off the end. The mud squished under my feet, and through the hum of the rain, I could hear crickets stringing their tune.
I could scarcely keep my thoughts from straying as I walked home in the rain---I would have preferred to walk home without getting washed, but as Dorian and I waited for the rain to stop and when it didn't, we had no choice but to move through the rain before the darkness fell and Charlie called for a police search. But the rain didn't bother me, on the other hand, my thoughts did. So much has happened, so much was happening, the simple life I held in my hands in the real world---the one that separated me from the souls was being chased away by stray ghosts and bloodsucking vampires. Did anybody else acknowledge their consistent presence in our world? Was there any other person in this town that knew the truth of these beautiful creatures that prey on the weak? Was I the only one who saw what was behind the painted faces?
But even as I walked and thought, trying to stop myself from shivering every time Dorian's arm rubbed against my own as he walked in step beside me, I couldn't blame these people, whoever they were, who knew but said nothing. What could poor, defenseless humans do in the face of immortal monsters that were designed to kill? Should I hold them guilty for their inarticulateness when I myself have been bound in the same speech-paralysis my whole life in fear of judgment? Even if they knew, what could they do? Was there even a way to destroy a vampire? Only one thought came to mind, and that was the story Quil told me the night of the party on the beach.
He told me in his story that the shape-shifter's teeth were solid and strong enough to puncture the skin of a vampire. At the time I hadn't given it much thought, being too preoccupied by the stray ghosts that appeared in my life and the constant nagging thought that told me something about the Cullens, the Quileutes and Forks in general, was not normal. But now, as I stepped over a log and shielded my eyes from the rain, I wondered if what Quil told me was in some ways, true?
Part of the story was in fact, real facets of the truth. The Cullens did come here fifty years ago, seeing as that can now be deemed possible because of their immortality and inability to age. But was that the only part that was true? What if the whole story that Quil told me wasn't just some bedtime fairytale as he'd dismissed, what if it was the reality of the situation back then? What if the Quileute boys were actual shapeshifters and their ancestors who could also turn into bear-sized wolves did make a treaty with the Cullens? The possibility of that was high on the scale now that my knowledge has been widened. Could that be it?
I stopped in my spot, my eyes staring unfocused into the distance as the dots all connected in my brain. Vaguely I heard Dorian say something, but all of my outer senses closed in on themselves so I could focus only what was happening in my brain.
As time rolls on
Time left ticks by
Thoughts you thought
And will think....
We will think on,
In the land of whispering woods
Jacob Black used to be skinny, and bony, and playful and young. But suddenly, as if going through an instant transformation, at the age of sixteen he went from being a lanky kid to a muscular and wide man. He didn't even seem like he was a teenager, he looked like one of those steroid infused actors you see on TV in anabolic steroid commercials. His happy persona changed, he always looked serious and tired, as if he'd been out running all night. He was in love with my sister, Bella, and he loathed her boyfriend. But it wasn't just that, every time I saw Jacob looking at Bella and Edward and every time his name was mentioned in a conversation, it was like Jacob was physically repulsed by Edward, like he had a bad smell or something. The deep hatred between the two of them seemed to drive from more than just their love for Bella, like they just couldn't physically stand the other. Back in certain situations, I'd been confused, but with Quil's story ringing through my head word for word, as I searched in my memories and brought that particular one forward to re-see, I then understood.
Taha Aki's descendants no longer turned to wolves when they reached manhood. Only when a cold one was near would they return. The cold ones always came in one or two so the pack stayed small with three wolves until a bigger coven came. The leader of the coven spoke to Ephraim Black as if he were a man and promised not to harm the Quileutes. His strange yellow eyes gave proof of this, and a treaty was offered to the tribe even though there was no need—they outnumbered the wolves and could have won easily if they fought. Ephraim accepted and the coven's numbers forced a larger pack than before. Over the years, the coven left and returned to Forks but always kept true to their word and did not harm the tribe.
Edward and Jacob couldn't stand to be near each other not only because they loved the same girl, but because their natures were opposite. In every tale and folklore, the vampire and the werewolf are always on opposite sides, fighting battles against each other. And if the tale is true, and Quil had been reciting history rather than telling a scary story, then that meant the minute the Cullens stepped foot in this town again, wolves started to appear. If their blood was still true to their ancestor's genetics, then that meant the direct descendants of Levi Uley and Quil Ateara and Ephraim black, meaning Jacob, Sam, and Quil, should have turned into wolves.
Then suddenly it all made sense, like a light switch being turned on, I could see everything and understand it. How they all looked alike in their physical appearance, the strange feeling of comradery between them, like they were soldiers talking amongst each other rather than friends, the way they almost unconsciously glanced towards Sam Uley whenever a decision needed to be made, the identical tattoos on their shoulders', it wasn't a mistake of a drunken night out, it was a badge of acknowledgment, to recognize one another as wolves. It was their uniform that informed every one of the other residents of La Push that the generation of wolves was back, and it consisted of them. It was as much as a warning too, a flyer being paraded around town. If the descendants are starting to shape-shift again, then that means vampires are in this town, and that they needed to keep weary and watchful.
The Quileutes were shape-shifters.
The Quileutes were shape-shifters.
The boys on the reservation are wolves.
I could feel Dorian grasping my arm, and maybe it was his presence, or the dawning realization, but I suddenly felt ice trickle down my back and I involuntarily shivered. The rain that fell softly against my skin was cold, chilling me through the blood and to the bone, but it was a different kind of coldness that travelled with it. An aching in my gut told me that I was right, I was right and we weren't alone here.
Someone was watching us.
More specifically, a soul was here. A powerful one.
"Sophie? Sophie, what is it? Can you hear me? Sophie you're starting to scare me . . ." Dorian's tone turned more and more urgent the more I stood solidly. I was not only having a mental epiphany, but I could feel another presence in the area, a powerful ghost, more powerful than the beady-eyed girl.
"Someone's here . . ." I whispered, as if the soul could actually hear me. Dorian's head whipped around as he looked through the woods, his hold tightening on my arm.
"Living or Dead?" He questioned as he took a step closer and let his hand fall down my arm to grasp mine, although he interlocked his hand through my gloved one, my fingers stayed limp as I tried to pinpoint in which direction the powerful aura of the soul was radiating from. My eyes scanned through the trees even through the rain, and I held my breath so I could find the base of this connection.
"Dead." I muttered, my eyes focusing on east, where I could feel a strong tug. It was like someone was wringing their hand in my gut and trying to pull me along. I could feel my blood rushing in my ear, I could feel pain blossoming in my gut, straining and shaping into an arrow that directed me towards the soul.
"Can't be," He said circumspectly, his eyes moving rapidly through the darkness. "I don't feel anything. . ." I heard Dorian mumble as he continued to survey the area.
"Dorian . . . get me out of here, please," I begged pathetically as I stepped behind him, letting the rain wash my clothes and slosh in my boots.
"Of course, just stay close to me and tell me if you feel the spirit coming closer." Dorian, protectively shielding me, started moving like a bloodhound on a scent, navigating his way through the forest like he'd spent his whole life mapping them. I held on tightly to his hand, but the curious part of me, the part that still held the same fondness my child self had for souls before they started to appear everywhere and disrupt my daily life, wanted me to go back to that soul in the east.
It was bizarre; I haven't encountered such a powerful aura before. Not even Dorian could come close. This one felt strange and magnetic, pulling me towards them by a string. I could have dropped Dorian's hand at that moment and followed my abnormal instinct that always led me to souls, but the thought of Charlie and Renée stopped me, I couldn't make them even more worried than they already were.
I walked the Forks road down towards my house, feeling the rain soak me through. Dorian walked alongside me, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared around us, a perplexed expression on his face. Usually it would be hard to guess what had him so confused, but now I knew that he was trying to feel that soul he missed before. He didn't doubt me, and he didn't doubt himself, so he thought there was something fishy about this particular soul.
I tightened my arms around my torso, mentally cursing Dorian for ever convincing me to get out of my room, I was perfectly content there, where the lights were low, where my bed was comfy, where my books were with me. I could feel the effect of the painkillers washing away, and I hated it. I liked it when I couldn't feel any of the pain, I liked it when I was in that inexplicable haze that made it easy access to disappear into my brain and stay there nestled amongst my happy memories. I could feel the pain coming back, I could feel it in my ribs, in my eye, in my bones, I hated all of it. To top it all off, the headache that I'd been postponing on feeling was now coming back, and pain was over-abundant in my body. On one hand, I really enjoyed the day with Dorian, and I appreciated what he did for me, to try and bring the normal Sophie back. We talked in the tree house and came up with plans how to clean and renew it, but that didn't mean I was fully recovered from the accident. I wanted aspirins and painkillers and maybe a sip of vodka. Anything that would take the pain away.
"Do you still feel it?" Dorian's accented voice asked from beside me, the phantom man that walked through the rain without it ever touching him.
The trees tilted forwards as we brushed past them, their acerose prongs moving with vivacious eagerness. Their leaves frolicked covertly, and the wind laughed as it blew in-between them. They were greedy, and acquisitive. Secrets! They whispered, carved faces smiling wickedly, tell us more secrets!
They wanted more, more from me and Dorian. They wanted to take us in, to wrap their branches around our throats and squeeze until all the air has left our lungs and we suffocate. They wanted to turn us upside down and shake us, until every truth we've kept in and every lie that's ever slipped past our lips is theirs to claim.
Secrets! They demanded. Tell us more! We want more! We'll keep them locked inside our trunks, we'll swallow them up whole. We'll lure you in and drag you down into the depths of the earth, until you become one of us. Until your skin turns to bark, and your limbs turn to knives, and your heart becomes grim. Until you become a keeper of secrets just like us. Until you become one with the woods.
I stared ahead, dragging my teeth viciously over my bottom lip until I felt the copper taste of blood enter my mouth, and I swallowed with nervous concatenation, searching for that familiar ache in my abdomen, trying to find the string tied to my chest.
But there was nothing but hollowness.
"Not anymore." I murmured, raising a hand and pushing a wet strand of hair that stuck to my forehead behind my ear. He nodded as he stared down at his shoes.
"I'm sorry for making you walk home in the rain," The words went past his lips reprehensibly.
"It's fine,"
"It'll be my fault when you get a cold,"
"You can repay me by taking care of me." I managed to say and I glanced to the side to see a soft smile on his face.
"That I'll do," He promised. We walked for a little longer, and he opened his mouth to say something but closed it when lights started illuminating the road we were walking on, I turned my head to look behind just as a Volkswagen Rabbit honked loudly and stopped beside us---well me---on the road.
I stopped confusedly and turned to see the window of the car roll down to reveal---Jacob Black.
An irrepressible jolt of fear coursed through me. Whilst I needed conclusive proof to know the Cullens were vampires, with Jacob, I was absolutely sure. I already had my proof, and that was his reaction in the bookstore when he saw me purchase a book about their history.
"Sophie?" He asked as he squinted, leaning forward in his seat to get a closer look. I spit out some rainwater and ran another hand over my forehead, clearing away all the creases to reshape my expression into the main blank one.
"What the hell are you doing out in the rain?" He asked, resting his arm on the steering wheel.
I turned my head to glance at Dorian who had been silent by my side, staring at Jacob with skeptical eyes. Only then did I realize that Dorian never actually met Jacob---or in another word, he's never seen him around me. He looked back at me before nodding reassuringly and then disappearing and I was the only person who saw.
I didn't answer Jacob, I haven't talked to any of my of my family since the accident. I didn't know why, but maybe the reason was that I had so many terrible truths held locked inside me that the thought of opening my mouth had me terrified I'd spill one.
I avoided his eyes as I silently opened the passenger door and got in, buckling myself up and bringing my knees up to my chest, trying to create any sort of warmth in my body.
Jacob silently resumed his driving, turning down the radio that was playing some odd-beat tune. The woods whizzed past us as Jacob drove faster and faster, and the sky was turning a bright orange, blue and red, shading the road in an illuminating titian colour.
Jacob glanced at me as he drove, silent and cautious at first, then slowly turning bolder, bold enough to bring a hand up and settling the back of it on my cheek.
I jumped at the sudden contact, my breath catching in my throat, and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Jesus, Sophie, you're freezing!" Jacob said astoundedly. He cranked up the heater and started driving faster.
He took off his hand, but it left a patch of warmth on my cheek that refused to stay when he took away his hand. The heater settled warmth in the car, but I was still shivering in my soaked clothes.
"Take off your hoodie and lean over the gear a little." At any other situation I would have looked at him like he was crazy, but now I was so cold that the idea of getting just a little bit of the warmth Jacob seemed to naturally posses sounded blissful.
I did as he said and unbuckled myself, leaning my tank-top clad torso over and pressing my side up against his chest while he settled his arm around me. I couldn't help but sigh in relief. Jacob was so warm, like the sun. I still feared him, feared the beast part of him, at any moment he could whip out his claws and do a bloody number on me, but I couldn't bring myself to care, not when his warmth travelled over to my skin and stayed there, blazing through my shoulders and neck onwards and upwards until the only freezing part of my body left was my slowly turning blue toes. Survival over fear. Survival over fear.
"So why on earth were you out in this rain?" Jacob asked, I could feel his voice against the side of my head.
I chose not to answer.
"Still not talking, huh?" He said with a glance down towards me. I shook my head slowly, rubbing my cheeks against his shoulder in the process.
"You know this reminds me of when we were kids," He said conversationally, a chuckle vibrating through his chest.
"Me trying to get a full sentence out of you and you staying as silent as a rock, it was like trying to convince a doll to come to life." He smiled to himself. And without much refrain memories of Jacob and me as children came to the front of my mind. Jacob had always tried to get me to talk whenever we were around each other, but a few words and a simple goodbye and I would scurry away to some corner to hide and draw. Day by day, his attempts grew more and more frustrating.
I smiled too.
But the smile was bittersweet. Those days were easy, pastoral, tranquil and serene. Those days I drew because it was enjoyable and calming, but after the traumatic events took over my life, it became a way of release, my daily dosage of morphine. Those days---Athena was alive . . .
"Are you coping well?" Jacob suddenly asked after a pause of silence clearing his throat experimentally. He seemed concerned, but with an underlining of hesitancy as well.
I looked up at him, settling my cheek on his blistering warm shoulder. Jacob glanced down and saw the quizzical look in my eyes, so with a flick of his tongue against his lips, he continued on.
"I mean after the crash, are you . . . okay?" The way he spoke it was unsure like he himself wasn't completely certain what he was trying to get across. He looked away from me and stared ahead, shifting in his seat.
I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicion evident in my gaze. But then I resumed my blank mask and stiffly nodded, sighing at the warmth he had. Back when Jacob had taken me to the bookstore on his motorcycle, I'd been both amazed and concerned at the temperature his body maintained. But now, I couldn't help but connect this to his wolf side. Could it be that he's exactly the opposite of Edward, whose skin felt like it was carved from ice? Maybe that's just the way it is, vampires are the ice, and werewolves are the fire.
"On the day of the incident, did you notice anything---strange?" His voice cracked on the last word. Nervousness. Uncertainty. Caution. They were all twined into his voice.
Strange how? I managed to say without talking.
"Strange like, I don't know, unnatural?"
I leaned back and stared up at him, my eyes narrowed and my mouth in a firm line. How could he know? It was possible that the Cullens knew---but they are of the same species, and the red haired demon might be a part of their clan, but how could Jacob know? Unless he was there to witness it or if he'd sniffed her scent, no other reason made sense. Although Sherlock Holmes said 'Once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
But could it be? Could it be that the alliance between the Cullens and the Quileutes is flexible enough for the two supernatural creatures that it allows them to work together?
"Sophie?" Jacob called questioningly.
More secrets, fewer truths, how many lies does this town have a capacity to hold?
Echoes of words
Formed on the tongue
Yet struggle to escape
The eternal confines
We will speak on,
In the land of whispering woods
I weakly shook my head, and moved away from him. I ignored his protest as I buckled myself in.
"No, come on, you're still cold," He reasoned destitutely.
I'm warm enough.
I avoided his eyes and turned to the window, watching the droplets of rain roll down the window, where it became a shapeless body of water. I could feel my pulse in the tips of my fingers, fast, unsteady, I could hear the blood rushing in my veins. Coldness returned, like ice being injected down my spine. Jacob knew. He knew about the demon woman, and the Cullens, and he knew Bella was in love with a vampire, and yet, he still loved her, my uncoordinated, danger-magnet sister.
He was a doomed man.
I couldn't help but wonder if there was anybody in this town that was only human. Was Forks the main headquarters or location for all kinds of supernaturals to meet? This town was already extra infested with ghosts, and now vampires, and werewolves.
Either the human race was slowly upgrading to supernatural creatures one by one or I was going absolutely bonkers.
"It was strange . . ." I whispered after some time had passed. The words were small and shaky on my tongue, but Jacob still heard them. He snapped his head towards me, his eyebrows raised to his hairline. His mouth opened and closed, when finally, he snapped his mouth back shut and turned back to the road, resting his hands on the wheel at two and ten.
"I'm afraid. . ." I brought my legs up and wrapped my arms tightly around myself, digging my gloved nails into my palms until half-crescent moons were indented into the leathery texture.
"Of what?"
He turned to look at me.
"Of what Sophie? What did you see?"
"I'm terrified," I muttered, clenching my eyes shut until pain seared into the pupils. It was odd, but I felt like Jacob didn't need explaining for him to understand what I meant.
Jacob set his jaw, looking like he was holding back a growl.
"I'll protect you, I won't let anything happen to you. Me, Bella, Charlie, all of us will keep you safe. you don't need to be afraid of anything." His voice was strong and full of promises, and I was almost tempted to believe him, but part of me, the part that knew when he said he would protect me, his intent was killing.
"What happened Jacob?" I voiced, my tone rising.
He glared at the road ahead of us.
"We don't know. There was nothing on that road. Nothing that could have made you swerve like that, it was a freak accident. And no one, not even the police, can understand how the truck crashed that badly. It was not natural." He turned a corner that led to my house.
"Maybe it wasn't supposed to be natural." I couldn't help but say, and he heard me, but didn't say anything.
"I will protect you, Sophie, I swear it."
The way he said it made it seem like it was his job, an oath he'd taken under the light of the moon. He spoke like a person who was getting ready for battle. But it wasn't enough, because I knew that she was waiting. She was angry, getting ready, creating an ensemble of creatures to follow her. She wanted me, she was fascinated with me. She was out for my blood, and so were the Cullens. How could I trust a person who works unwaveringly with my enemies? How could I trust these monsters?
I was stuck in a web, and the spider was lurking near.
The end draws near
The shadows, dear
I will be free
And so will you
We will live on,
In the land of whispering woods
****
When Jacob's car stopped in front of our house, Charlie was already standing on the front porch, a frown on his lips and lines appearing on his forehead.
His eyes dropped down to me as I slinked out of Jacob's Rabbit, holding my hoodie against me as I walked up the front porch.
"Where were you?" Charlie asked at once when I stepped beside him. I glanced back at Jacob, biting my lips nervously.
"Oh, she went for a walk, and I picked her up on the way." Jacob thankfully came to my rescue, plastering on such a convincing smile that even Charlie, Chief of Police, couldn't detect anything wrong.
"Well she had us worried," Charlie mumbled, raising his beer to his lips and sipping.
"How's Billy, kid?" Charlie directed his question at Jacob.
Billy Black, Jacob's father and one of Charlie's best friends, who was now in a wheelchair.
"He's fine, wheeling about the reservation. He spends most of his time with Sue Clearwater and her kids,"
"Good, good, poor family shouldn't be left alone at a time like this." Charlie stared into the distance.
He finished his beer in one go and stepped down from the porch to stand directly in front of Jacob, a smile on his lips.
"Well, kid, I'm gonna ask you to stay for dinner, but I should also warn you that Renée is cooking, so you're welcome to say no if you don't want food poisoning." He chuckled along with Jacob.
"I kindly decline your invitation but I should be getting home, before Dad gets worried." Charlie nodded and waved a hand in goodbye before walking back inside.
I stayed on the porch, and Jacob stayed in his place, both of us gazing at each other apprehensively.
"Thank you for taking me home," I whispered, fiddling with the thread of my tank-top.
"No problem, call me if you need anything." He stepped around and opened the car door, getting inside in one swift motion and driving off with a goodbye wave to me.
I watched the car slowly disappear, stepping back and staying rooted to my spot. Dorian appeared by my side, his eyes trained on the spot where we could still see a tiny shape of Jacob's car driving away.
"He's strange." He said to me.
"He's a shape-shifter," I replied, as if that should explain everything, and he looked at me, seeming to come to some sort of realization.
"I can't believe that doesn't sound crazy anymore," He said to himself in an incredulous way, shaking his head in despair.
"So are we going to the treehouse tomorrow or are we investigating the shape-shifter?" He tilted his head to the side curiously, glancing at me with those piercing eyes.
"I don't know," I mumbled and brushed past him, stepping inside the house. I changed into some warm pyjamas and dried my hair, settling down for dinner with my dull blue eyes vacant of any emotion or knowledge, nothing in those orbs to rouse any suspicion in my family.
My mother gave me the pills that I needed to take, and then doubled it when I managed to sign that my pain was more.
She tucked me in and kissed my forehead, staying by my side and singing my childhood lullaby.
When she left, and my room was drowned in darkness, I sat up in bed and brought the blanket closer to my chest.
"Are you cold?" Dorian asked from beside me, his legs outstretched and his arms crossed over his chest.
He has been staying with me since I was discharged from the hospital. He didn't mind, he was there to protect me, and I wanted him close by my side.
I shook my head.
"Dorian?"
"Hmm?"
"Were you holding my hand when I was unconscious?" I whispered, turning my head slowly to look up at him, losing myself in those quizzical blue eyes that shined like those of a cat's in the dimness of the room.
"How did you know?" He questioned.
"I saw you, in my memories." I heard him shift closer.
"Which memory was it?" He asked.
I swallowed and his eyes followed the lump until it disappeared down my throat.
"You were young, you were in the cemetery and you were---reading. Sitting in the snow and reading a poem written by---"
"William Sharp." I looked up at him. He settled closer and folded one arm under his head.
"Yeah I remember, it was when I was---twelve? Maybe. Three months before my dad died. We were taking him to a specialist that day." He replied. "But I guess we know something for sure now, I'm not immune to your gift."
"It's not a gift," I mumbled, raising my hand and settling it under my cheek. It was only when I looked up again did I realize how close he was, like I could feel his nonexistent breath fanning my face. One more inch, one more shift, and his lips would be on mine.
"Whatever you say," he relented.
He glanced down, and it seemed like he too realized the close capacity between us. His expression turned hazy, like he was trying to figure something out. I stayed silent, leaving him to his musings until he came to a decision.
When he stared into my eyes, it was like he decided to throw any rational thought out the window and just go with instincts.
He leaned down fully until our lips were softly pressed together.
Hello lovely readers! How are you all/ I hope you all had nice spring breaks and that's the reason why my viwers lessened to half the usual amount. But lets not talk about that anymore, I apologize for not updating earlier, but I wanted to make it perfect, and I did, and it's perfect. I hope you guys like this chapter as much as I do. I don't know where the poem is from, so if anyone knows the author, please mention them in the comments.
I know, I'm mean. I left you at an impossible cliffhanger. If it was a story I was reading, I would have left a very verbal message in the comments. But I hope you guys go easy on me.
This chapter has been edited, but, not thoroughly, and I made mistakes throughout the story, so please point it out if you see any mistakes.
Tell me what you think of this chapter because it's kinda important. And please vote and comment and tell me what you think.
So vote, and comment, and try not to kill me, and tell me what you think!
That's all for now.
Bye.
BL00DANDB0NES.