FOR THE NEXT MONTH, I managed to avoid the Cullens.
Rosalie stayed glaring at me, a consistent warning to stay away. And, I listened.
Eventually, I was able to attend Bella and I's little library sessions again, without the dying need to ask questions about the family. I had grown closer to Angela as well; we had a lot in common.
There was no doubt that Bella was my closest friend, though. She always understood where I was coming from. We talked about everything: about her parents, how they divorced when she was young, and how she had moved to Forks to live with her dad. We'd even talked about how my mother had died, and my dad had never been around. I appreciated that we were able to talk about everything.
Well, not everything though, of course.
I wanted to talk about the Cullens, about how Emmett had followed after me that late October day and complimented my eyes. About how he was always staring at me, with a certain look in his own that I couldn't pinpoint.
But, I had to ignore them. I had to ignore him.
November passed quickly, and it was obvious that everyone was jittery thanks to the upcoming holidays. Snow was already beginning to fall, and it was only the third day of December.
Looking out of my bedroom window, I put off getting out of bed. I needed to get ready for school, but the sight of the descending snowflakes was enough to distract me.
I found myself growing lost in thought until a loud knock on my door grabbed my attention.
"Up and at 'em, kiddo. Breakfast is almost ready," Daylin's voice called through the door, slightly muffled.
I blinked once, and then twice, before slowly sitting up with a sigh. I got ready, making sure not to take too long. It didn't take long for me to be downstairs, eating breakfast with my older brother.
"So, any plans for the weekend?"
I looked up from my scrambled eggs, giving him a small shrug in response.
"Not yet. I'll figure out something to do though," I trailed off, giving him a reassuring smile as I continued to eat. Daylin nodded at this, pursing his lips.
"Will you? I... I'm worried about you, Eve. You never go anywhere on the weekends. I mean, I know I can be protective, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to have a life. Go out, shop, see a movie, just... don't sit in your room anymore. I hate comin' home, seeing you all by yourself..."
I stared at him, my face falling as he expressed his worries. I knew he'd said a few times that he wished I'd go out more, but I didn't think it was too serious.
"I'll go out, I promise."
"Good," he grinned.
After thar, we made our way to Forks High School, a pleasant silence falling over us. I was deep in thought, wondering what I'd get up to over the weekend. I could always ask to study with Angela or go see a movie. Maybe Bella and I could hang out.
If she wasn't busy with Edward. I couldn't blame her, though. They were in love, and I was happy for them.
Shaking my head, I disregarded the thought, not even wanting to get started on the Cullens. They weren't a part of my life, I shouldn't worry over them anymore.
Pulling up to the school, Daylin turned to me.
"I'm gonna be working late tonight. If you wanna spend the night anywhere, just shoot me a text, okay? And if I don't see you tomorrow, just let me know what you're getting into," he spoke with a serious yet loving tone, one I knew all too well.
"I will, I promise. Love you, Day,"
"Love you too, kiddo."
Exiting the cruiser, I waved goodbye as he drove off. I watched the car until it was out of sight, and continued to stare in the direction. That is, until I felt someone watching me.
My body tensed, the burning gaze familiar. I'd gotten used to it over the past few weeks and had always managed to ignore it, either quickly walking off or setting my focus on something else. But, this time was different. No one was around to pull me away, and I felt glued to the black asphalt of the parking lot.
I knew better than to look at the culprit, but this time I couldn't control myself. It was like every bit of gravity was forcing me to turn my head. And I did.
My breath caught in my throat.
It was Emmett. Go figure.
He refused to look away. His face was unmoving, tight-lipped, and firm. I could tell he was rigid by the way his hand gripped the edge of his gigantic jeep. I found it a little funny how neither of us moved. Neither of us said a word.
We just stared.
The interaction was cut off, the warning bell ringing incessantly to get everyone to their first class. I blinked, pulled out of the trance I'd previously been in. I looked towards the school, before glancing back at the jeep.
He was nowhere to be found.
Sighing, I turned around and made my way to class. I had to move on with my day, I couldn't stay hung up over it. Emmett was trouble, just like I had told him a month prior. I knew to stay away.
So why did I want to do the opposite?
༻༺
My Friday went by relatively slowly after Emmett and I's scene in the parking lot. During history, I had asked Angela if she wanted to do anything over the weekend – alas, she was going out of town for a family trip. I wasn't upset and reassured her that I understood
After history, I managed to float my way through PE, drawing as little attention to myself as possible.
During free period, Bella and I spoke about nothing in particular, graduation coming up once or twice. It was clear to me that she was excited about it, and I was jealous that she seemingly had her life together.
Lunch was... interesting. I'd gotten pretty good at ignoring the Cullen table. But, today was different. As I ate, I didn't feel the normal staring from Emmett. At first, I just shrugged it off as though I was being dramatic, or crazy. But one glance at the Cullens proved otherwise.
Emmett wasn't there, along with Jasper, Rosalie, or Alice. It was just Edward and Bella. I felt my brows knit together, worry filling my body. It was a weird kind of worry, an unprecedented one. I tried to brush it off, but of course, couldn't. The walls I'd been working so hard to build, to keep the Cullens away, were quickly crumbling — all because of Emmett.
"I-I'll be right back, I gotta go ask Bella something," I spoke to Angela. Getting up, I inhaled deeply as I made my way to the couple across the cafeteria.
Edward glanced back at me, before whispering something to Bella. She immediately looked up.
Oh god, what'd he say?
As I approached, I felt anxious. My hands tugged at the sleeves of my sweater. Bella gave me a crooked smile like she was already attempting to calm me down.
"Hey, Evelyn. Uh, what's up?"
"Hey, guys. It looks... lonely over here. Where is everyone?" The question was directed at Edward.
Giving me a tight-lipped smile, I saw Edward grip the edge of the round lunch table.
"Emmett felt sick, so Rosalie drove him home. Jasper and Alice are looking at colleges this weekend, so they wanted a head start on their drive," his voice was cool and smooth. Like velvet. It almost comforted me – almost.
"Oh, well, tell Emmett I hope he feels better..."
Edward nodded towards me, before turning back to Bella.
"We'll let him know, Evelyn. I'm sure he'll appreciate it," she reassured me.
I nodded. Something about Edward's polite shortness threw me off like he was hiding something. Then again, the Cullens were always hiding something. Giving Bella a quiet goodbye, I left them alone. A student getting sick wasn't out of the ordinary, but I kept seeing Emmett from earlier, staring at me tensely. He looked as though he'd been struggling. Like he was holding back.
༻༺
Watching Evelyn leave, Bella sighed, turning to Edward.
"Do we have to keep her so... in the dark? I mean, what if Alice is right? What if she really is his mate?"
That word felt so foreign, yet she knew it's meaning firsthand.
"If she is, Emmett's just going to have to wait, Bella."
"Wait for what? Haven't you seen how upset he's been lately? He just stares at her all day long, and whenever I come over, he's always sulking–"
"Bella, if we involve Evelyn in our lives, that's another human for the Volturi to target. It's dangerous. For you, us, and her. You are my priority, your safety is everything to me. You know that."
"Yeah... I know..."
Bella understood his point, but she felt guilty. She couldn't even imagine how distraught she would feel if she weren't allowed to be with him. Evelyn and Emmett deserved the same happiness as she and Edward, didn't they?
༻༺
After Angela had dropped me off at home, a ritual we had gotten used to, I did nothing but sit in bed and read a book. I had completely forgotten to ask Bella if she wanted to hang out over the weekend, but I wasn't sure if I could handle my curiosity around her at the moment.
When I grew bored of reading, I began to ponder over what I could do to busy myself. I had promised Daylin that I would get out, but Angela was busy, and Bella was no longer an option. Sitting by my window, I rested my forehead against the glass.
Suddenly, I had a revelation. Jumping up, I rushed to my closet. Opening it, I rummaged through all of my hung up clothes, until I finally found my rain jacket. Digging through the pockets, I felt a smile come on my face as I grabbed a small piece of paper. I pulled it out and unfolded it.
It read:
if you're ever in la push, give me a call
~ Embry
I had always meant to visit again but had never really thought about it. I felt a little bad for not calling sooner, but better late than never, right?
Grabbing my phone, I flipped it open and dialed the number Embry had given me. I held it up to my ear as it rang, waiting and hoping that he'd pick up. After a few moments, someone finally did.
"Hello?"
It wasn't Embry, but someone else. Another male, who sounded like he couldn't be much older than me.
"Hello, um, is Embry home?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"I'm a friend of his, uh, Evelyn Crawford?" I bit my bottom lip, hoping that the person would allow me to speak to him. The other side of the phone went silent, aside from a bit of shifting and hushed voices.
"Evelyn?"
A broad smile overcame my face, overjoyed to hear Embry.
"Hey, uh, sorry for not calling sooner, I–"
"Hey! Don't sweat it, girl. What's up?"
"Would you maybe wanna hang out tomorrow? My brother wants me to get out of the house," I hoped my request didn't weird him out. After all, he did tell me to call him whenever I wanted to go to La Push.
"Hell yeah! I've got some friends you can meet, and I know Quil's been dyin' to see you again, too. It can get pretty boring here at the rez," he chuckled through the phone, my smile never fading.
"Yeah! Awesome, great. Want to meet at La Push beach?"
"Mhm. When were you thinking?"
"How about noon?"
After talking for a bit longer on the phone, we eventually hung up. I was far more relaxed than I'd been earlier, excited to see some friendly faces. Of course, I was a bit nervous to meet Embry's friends, but I knew it wouldn't be too bad. Lord knew I needed more friends, anyway.
That night, I went to bed early. I had intended on a peaceful night's sleep, but of course, that wasn't the case. I dreamed of Emmett Cullen and me, the two of us staring at each other across the parking lot, the way he had grabbed my hand back in October. I could feel it, even in the dream.
His hand had been so... cold. It was smooth to the touch, like marble. Eventually, all I was dreaming about were his eyes. His piercing eyes.
༻༺
The next morning, I woke up in a drowsy state. Who knew dreaming could tire someone so much?
I showered and got ready, eyes glancing at the clock in my room every few minutes. Eventually, after eating some breakfast, it was around time to head to La Push.
Because I didn't own a car, I was forced to call a taxi. I didn't mind it since I'd already done it a few times since arriving at Forks. The cab arrived faster than I thought it would.
After a twenty or so minute drive, I arrived at the beach. I paid the driver, thanking him politely before he drove off, leaving me alone in the gravel parking lot. Looking out at the gray-colored waves, I felt my mind go blank. For once, I wasn't thinking about anything.
The peace was soon broken by the rumble of an engine. Turning around, I raised my brows in disbelief as Embry drove up on an old dirt bike. Scoffing, I crossed my arms and waited to speak until he killed the ignition.
"A dirt bike?"
"Hey, it's better than your taxi by a long shot, girl. Why didn't you just ask for a ride?"
"And get on that death trap? No way!"
Embry let out a boisterous laugh, shaking his head. As he calmed down, he gave a light pat to the spot behind him.
"C'mon, just get on. I'm a good driver!"
After a few moments of hesitation, I finally realized that he hadn't died on his way to meet me, so we'd be fine. I walked up to the bike, reluctantly taking a seat.
"You're gonna wanna hold on, you know."
I could practically hear the smirk in his voice, and I rolled my eyes as I wrapped my arms around him. The first thing I noticed was his body heat – again, was burning up. I thought back to our first handshake, and how his skin had been scorching then as well. At first, I found this concerning. I was worried that he may have a fever. But, he seemed fine. Before I could even ask, we were off.
Within a few moments of driving, I'd tightened my grip around him. He began to explain, in a loud voice, that we were headed to his friend Jacob's garage. He needed some help on a car, and Embry had offered to help earlier that week.
After a few minutes of driving on dirt roads, we eventually reached a clearing in the dense forest. There, stood a small one-story home, red in color. It resembled a small barn. Next to it sat a large garage.
Pulling up, Embry let the rumble of the bike slowly die out before turning the key. I let out a deep breath, fixing my windblown hair. Chuckling at the sight of me, he shook his head.
"C'mon, I'll introduce you to Jake," he spoke, leading me into the open garage. Inside, I realized how big it was. Unlike a normal garage, I could tell that this one was made for repairs and such. Looking around some more, my eyes finally landed on another boy, presumably Jacob.
He was working on a car, the hood up as he used a wrench to twist something within.
"Hey, Jake. Got someone for you to meet," Embry interrupted his work, that same crooked smile on his face. I suddenly grew shy, gulping as I reminded myself to calm down. There was nothing like social anxiety to make my foot start tapping wildly.
Jacob looked up, turning around with a stretch. He was tall, like, really tall. He had choppy black hair and the same russet skin as Quil and Embry.
"You must be Evelyn. Embry and Quil mentioned you before. I'm Jacob, Jacob Black," he held out a hand for me to shake, and I thought deeply as I moved to shake his hand. His name sounded so familiar. I could've sworn that Bella had said it once or twice before.
"All good things, I hope," I mused, pausing before continuing, "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know Bella Swan, would you?" I hadn't meant to pry or to offend Jacob. Even so, I watched as the boy's gaze seemed to falter, his smile disappearing.
"Yeah. I do," he managed out, pulling his hand from mine. Embry looked between the two of us, patting his friend on the back.
"Bella's a touchy subject, she kinda dumped him-"
"She didn't dump me, because we weren't dating."
I could see by the look in his eyes as he glared at Embry that this was indeed a touchy subject, so I moved on.
"So, how do you two know each other? You and Embry, I mean," I spoke, moving to sit on a nearby chair. Embry followed, instead choosing to lean against the table next to me. Composing himself, Jacob managed to give me the same half-smile from before.
"Our families are close friends. Everyone is on the rez. But, uh, we work on cars and bikes together. None of the other guys will," Jacob explained, going back to work on the car in front of him.
"Yeah, we go way back. I remember when Jacob here wore diapers–"
"And I remember when you weren't so annoying," a new voice spoke up, cutting Embry off. Looking towards the entrance of the garage, I spotted Quil.
"Hey, look who decided to join us!" he mused playfully, moving towards me. He ruffled my hair, before taking a seat in the empty chair beside me.
"How've you been, Evelyn? It's been a while,"
"I've been... good. Just busy, school and all," I hummed, shrugging lightly.
"I'm assuming Embry introduced you two?"
I nodded, eyes glancing over at Jacob, who had now set down his tools and was leaning against the car. Embry chuckled, crossing his arms with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"You should watch out, Evelyn. He's got a thing for brunettes," Jacob glared at him, but he just snickered back. I could tell this was another allusion to Bella, so I lightly smacked Embry's arm from across the table.
"Don't be mean, jerk. Give him a break,"
"Wait... you tellin' me you know about Jake's little love triangle?" Quil laughed.
Jacob let out another groan, throwing his head back, "Guys, c'mon, it's not that big of a deal,"
I could vaguely put the puzzle pieces together at this point. It was growing clearer, that Jacob and Bella had some sort of relationship. She chose Edward over Jacob. I couldn't help but feel bad for him, knowing that he probably still wasn't over her.
"Bella's mentioned you before," I looked at Jacob, grabbing everyone's attention.
His eyes lit up, hands clenching as he attempted to play it cool.
"What... what'd she tell you?"
"We were talking about good people, and she mentioned you. She... she said that y'all were close, but didn't talk as much anymore. She misses you, though," I knew it wasn't my place to say something or to tell Bella's information so freely – but he deserved to know. It was clear he missed her too.
He remained silent, eyes shifting to the floor. A sad look overcame his face.
I could tell he was trying to hide his pain.
"Thanks. I... I miss her too... But, she made her choice."
Without another word, he walked out, Embry and Quil looking between each other. They didn't say anything, but Quil nodded his head towards Embry and stood up.
"I'm gonna go check on him. Thanks though, Evelyn. I think he needed to hear that. Bella's been calling nonstop, he's pretty torn up about the whole situation. He'll come around though, I know it," Quil explained.
I hadn't meant to make Jacob upset, but Quil's words comforted me.
Waving bye, Quil left, leaving Embry and me alone once more.
He broke the silence first, a deep noise emitting from him.
"Embry," I began, causing him to look over at me curiously, "what did Jacob mean, she made her choice?"
Grimacing a bit, he pursed his lips. I could tell he was trying to choose his words carefully.
"To put it simply, she chose the Cullen kid over him–"
"But it's not simple. Because back in October, Mike said that the Cullens don't come to La Push. And you agreed. Is that why they don't come? Because Bella is in love with Edward, and not Jacob?"
I wasn't trying to be confrontational or demanding, but I couldn't help it anymore. Everywhere I went, the Cullens were somehow tied to things. Whether it be school, La Push, a new friend from the library – even a random boy I'd never met before had a strong opinion on the family.
Embry looked at me, blinking as he took in what I had to say. He was quiet, but only for a moment.
"It's true, Jacob doesn't like the Cullens. Mainly because of Bella's decision, but... that's not why they aren't allowed- why they don't come to La Push."
I gave him my full attention, heart stopping as an explanation began to appear before me. It was a small one, but it was better than nothing. Upon noticing my silent urge for him to continue, Embry shook his head.
"It's just a dumb story. I wouldn't believe a word of it if I were you. But, according to our tribe's ancient legends, there's a treaty, right? Well, Jake's great-grandpa, the chief, found something hunting on our land. It was a group of nomads he called, the cold ones. To keep them away, and to keep the peace, a treaty was made–"
"Why did he call them that? The cold ones?"
He contemplated.
"I dunno, something about how he could feel their lack of warmth. Like, if he touched them, they'd be freezing,"
His words made my mind go blank, and then crazy all at once.
I remembered how cold Emmett's hand had been.
"But, it's just a legend. You know, a campfire story for our tribal meetings," Embry brushed it off, not as hung up as I was. Noticing that I wasn't responding, he moved a hand in front of my face, waving it lazily.
"You okay in there?"
Blinking rapidly as I was pulled back to reality, I nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff," I waved his hand from my face, giving him a small grin. He returned it, before standing up.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. C'mon, let's go grab something to eat. My friend Sam's fiancé is always cooking up something good," he jumped up, motioning for me to follow him. I did, my mind still secretly stuck in place.
I had gained an answer about the Cullens, but all it had done was open up so many new questions.
—edited
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When one door closes for Evelyn, a million more open~ When will she ever find out the truth?
I hope you guys enjoyed this extra-long chapter. The further into the story I get, the more I can't help but write!
As always, leave a comment, like, and please do Ethereal to your library. I hope you guys are liking it as much as I am so far
~ May 🖤