Chapter Nine:
Rat in a Cage
Caroline awoke before the sun peaked itself over the trees in a cold sweat, unable to go back to sleep. Charles was scratching and whimpering at her door. She didn't take him on a walk yesterday so he probably was just restless.
"Okay, okay," she grumbled softly to herself. "I'm coming." She got dressed quietly in her usual running clothes and opened the door for Charles. He ran around her to her window, growling outside. "Charles, if you want to go outside, we'll have to take the door, not the window," she chastised. She walked over to him and grabbed his collar, but stared intently out the window. What was throwing him off?
Caroline took Charles downstairs and put on his leash. The weather was beautiful that morning but she put on her rain jacket that had a reflective trim in case and cars past her, it was still dark outside and she didn't fancy the idea of getting struck that morning by a tired driver on their way to work.
The moment she opened the door Charles pulled her towards the woods, now snarling viciously. She wrapped the leash around her hands and tried to keep him close. "Charles! What has gotten into you?" She tried to follow his line of sight, but it was too dark for her to see anything in the trees.
She felt her heart rate spike but she pulled him towards the road. It's probably just an animal she thought, a deer maybe. A small voice in the back of her mind whispered to her: Charles never chases after deer.
She managed to get him down the street, putting whatever had excited him - or spooked him - behind them. He started barking but the fur on his neck never fully settled as they got into their run. Caroline felt herself flinching at the slightest sounds and checking behind her every other step.
The sun had just started to rise when they finally made it home. She turned into the driveway when she spotted him, just within the treeline.
"Ranger Daniels?" She turned her head to get a better look but he was gone. She locked the door when she got inside.
"You're up early," a cheerful voice from the kitchen nearly gave Caroline a heart attack. "Oops! Did I spook ya?" Aunt Sue laughed. "I'm glad I caught you actually, I was going to leave a note but this works a lot better." She was rambling, Caroline realized. Her aunt rambled when she was uncomfortable, something the two of them had in common. "Billy just called, he wants to reschedule dinner for tonight, said you had something important to talk about." And there it was.
Jake must have told his father about the pendant, and in turn, Billy told Aunt Sue. Which only lead Caroline to believe that Sue also knew what it meant. Everyone knew but her. She tried not to let the suspicion - or hurt - leak into her voice. "That works for me, I'll give him a call to confirm." She filled up her water bottle and ran upstairs.
Caroline grabbed the folders she had hidden under her mattress and the pendant from the bedside table. She put them into a backpack and made her way downstairs, passing Sue on her way.
"Leaving so soon?" her aunt asked.
"I was hoping to take Charles for a quick nature hike," Caroline called behind her. "I'll be safe, don't worry," she said.
"Where are you going?" Sue asked.
Caroline thought of the most recent animal attack and swung the front door open, leash in hand. "La Push."
Apparently Seth's idea of negotiating better terms with the vampires was letting them stay for another week. Because of that, everyone was on double patrols. Jake didn't like admitting it, but he did have a certain respect for the Cullens, and he trusted them to an extent. That didn't mean he could allow them to walk all over their treaty.
Jake and Seth were the only wolves that seemed to be able to stand being in their presence for extended periods of time. The smell was suffocating at times, and the family's self-righteous attitude was often draining - no pun intended. The rest of the pack was very much against them completely. The unnecessary drama (the nicest way Jake could be put) had cost them greatly. The continued tiptoeing around the area and Bella's need to take in any and all young vampires that wandered within a hundred mile radius was getting old, quick.
Three years earlier, when that leech had gotten her pregnant, something that had all been sure was impossible, she became obsessed with the possibility of having children with him. The thing inside of her nearly killed it. Or rather, it technically did. Jake had seen it. Bella insisted he be there to see it.
The leech ripped the thing out with his teeth, letting venom rush through Bella's veins. She died before she got to see it. Jake wasn't so lucky. It was underdeveloped, ghoulish in a way. A disgusting abomination.
When Bella woke up, dead, the treaty broken, she was devastated. Blamed Edward, blamed him, blamed everyone. Carlisle tried to explain to her that it wasn't anyone's fault but she was unwilling to listen. Bella had finally gotten her twisted wish, she was a newly dead vampire, but at a great cost.
The treaty was broken, but Jake let it slide. The anguish she felt, the way she had been broken, he felt it was an even trade.
The pack's alliance with the Cullens in the past was unstable. After their battle with the Volturi things were better, but under Sam, it was always difficult.
As the need for separation diminished, Jake, Seth and Leah phased back into the pack, but the clear power struggle between Sam and Jake was ever present. The three years between Bella's turning and the battle with the Volturi, and Jake finally bumping Sam were rough on everyone.
Even now, Sam and Jake tended to bump heads, but the transition came naturally for the wolves. Jake moved to Alpha quickly during that time, Seth filling in as Beta just as easily. Sam was Jake's third for a while, but he has slowly moved down the chain of command as Emily's due date approaches. He had never fully voiced a plan to retire, but it was always on his mind, and therefore on everyone else's mind as well.
Jake and Seth learned how to communicate outside of the pack link, making it easy to make decisions without being overheard.
I trust you. Jake ran through the woods, his paws sending leaves from the fall fluttering in the air. But I think what you did is a mistake.
I know you do. Seth and Jake were on patrol that morning. They ran throughout the reservation, sticking close to the borders. The vampires were careful not to stray too close to La Push, both wolves noted. They hunted outside of Forks, on the far side of town.
This would have made Jake feel better if his imprint didn't live so close.
Even if they did feed on humans, the Cullens wouldn't let them near Caroline, Seth reasoned.
Now that Bella knows I imprinted, I'm not so sure. Jake responded. The pack's alliance with the Cullens was always tentative and rooted in Jake's relationship with Bella, without it, neither wolf knew where that left them.
Caroline parked Jake's truck at the hiking trail outpost where the young woman, Elizabeth Beck, was attacked. Last night she had asked Charlie about her, but he assured her that the hiker still did not remember anything, and likely wouldn't. He promised that he would let her know the moment he heard anything. When asked why she was so interested, Caroline shrugged. She said Elizabeth reminded her of a friend back home and Charlie Swan, bless him, did not want to unpack that baggage and he left it at that.
Caroline had to tiptoe around her aunt's contant snooping, but Charlie only ever needed to know the surface level and he otherwise didn't ask any questions.
She opened the car door and Charles jumped across her from the passenger side and out of the car, sniffing the ground excitedly immediately after landing. Caroline grabbed his leash and tied a few doggy bags and put her backpack on.
Caroline knelt down in front of the shaggy dog in front of her and hooked his leash to his collar. "Charles." She said in a voice one only used when they were trying to tell their dog to do something. "No more barking at deer, alright?" She grabbed his muzzle in her hands and made him look at her. The brown and cream colored dog took her serious pep talk in stride and started licking her face. "Alright, I guess we're on the same page," she laughed before standing up.
According to her map, Elizabeth was about three miles out from the outpost when she was attacked. It didn't occur to Caroline until after her and Charles started their hike that they had never caught what - or who - had attacked her.
The morning rays peaked through the trees, illuminating the trail as they walked. La Push really was beautiful, Caroline thought. The birds sang overhead, comforting her as Charles sniffed ahead of her. The breeze was light today, just catching the green leaves. If all of the trails were like this, Caroline found herself almost looking forward to visiting every area. She stopped her train of thought at that. People had died, she reminded herself darkly. She wasn't just taking a short day hike, she was investigating what would be murders.
After about an hour, the app on her iPod dinged, indicating their approximate arrival.
Caroline looked down at the map, pulling a disgruntled Charles to a stop. If she was reading it right, the attack took place in a clearing 15 yards to their right. The trees in this area were thick and it didn't particularly look like there was a clearing anywhere near them. She turned to their left, but it looked just as thick, if not thicker. The only way she would know was if she went looking herself.
Leaving a trail was never a good idea, Caroline was well aware of that fact. It was especially unwise when one was alone. "You'll be able to sniff us back, won't you Charles?"
The mutt only cocked his head at her, his long tongue lolled out of his mouth.
She nodded. "I'll take that as a yes then." She tucked the map and folder back into her bag and zipped it shut. She tried to remember if she had told her Aunt Sue anything more specific about where she was going other than just La Push, but she couldn't recall. Another bad idea, she thought.
She couldn't just turn back, she thought. She was so close. But to what? She wasn't sure.
Caroline pushed past the thick foliage in front of her. As long as the birds sang and Charles didn't lose his head barking and snarling like he had that morning, she felt safe.
Slowly, the trees began to thin and Caroline could make out the clearing. The tall grass, still slightly damp, catching the light from the unblocked sun and glistening. When she broke through the trees, she took a doggy bag and tied it to a branch, signifying where they had come.
She wasn't taking any chances.
Caroline was afraid when she started her hike that she didn't even know what she was looking for. She knew there was an attack, but what exactly did she need, she didn't know who or what did it, she didn't know how to collect evidence, she didn't even really know where the attack exactly took place.
Charles pulled her ahead and although she didn't know what she needed, she was sure she had just found it.
The grass was flattened and unearthed dirt littered the area. The ground was torn up violently. She let go of Charles' leash and he sniffed around the area. Caroline knelt down and ran her hands over the Earth, picking up a dark stained strip of cloth with an iron-on patch off the ground. A park ranger patch.
She figured Ranger Daniels had been to the places the hikers were attacked, possibly even taking some of the pictures. But why would he leave some of his uniform behind? Had he been attacked her? She remembered the blood on his shirt, but he otherwise looked healthy.
She wrapped up the sleeve of his shirt and put it in her bag. She wandered around the area but otherwise didn't find much else worth investigating. She took a couple of steps back and surveyed the area.
Something about the area seemed familiar to her, something about the way the ground was turned up. She knelt back down, they were claw marks, she realized.
Her blood ran cold. The claw marks in the clearing looked identical to the markings that she had seen in Shawn and Paul's front yard.
Caroline took her time getting ready for dinner that evening. She found that she was scared to go over there. Excited, as well. She loved Billy, and she couldn't stop the rise of butterflies she felt when she thought of seeing Jake, but after his last reaction to her pendant, she was apprehensive. That, in addition to her knowledge that they all knew something she didn't made her feel uncomfortable and out of her element. She liked to be in the loop.
She shimmied into a pair of black jeans and a thin olive hoodie. She put on some mascara, pulled her hair into a long braid and turned to examine herself in the mirror.
Caroline had been living in Forks for a little over a month now. Her cheeks were starting to fill, her eyes no longer had a sunken look. She was filling out well, her ribs no longer cutting sharp lines across her tan skin.
The pizza delivery guy was just leaving as Caroline pulled Jake's old truck into the driveway. She walked in and took a big sniff. "Mmm! I love the smell of homemade pizza!"
Billy laughed from the kitchen while she took off her shoes and placed them neatly by the front door. "Caught in the act," he said. "We got a cheese, a pepperoni and a sausage."
"The holy trinity," Caroline said as she grabbed a paper plate and selected two cheese slices.
"You're going to want to grab a couple more of those," Billy warned, piling slices of pizza on his plate. "Jake will eat all of it before you finish those two." As if on cue, Jake walked through the back door, shirtless and sweating. "Speak of the devil. You have a good run?" Billy asked as he started rolling into the living room to catch the end of the game.
"Always." Jake grinned at Caroline and grabbed the entire box of sausage pizza off the counter. She arched an eyebrow at him as she reached for two more slices of cheese pizza, not paying attention as he leaned in towards her. "I'm glad you're here," he whispered, sending shivers down her spine.
He had already started walking towards the living room when she turned around. Tease.
Billy had been right. Jake had eaten the entire sausage pizza, pepperoni and finished off the cheese pizza before the game even finished. Caroline had only eaten three of her slices and with one look at her with his big brown eyes and she had given him her last piece of cheese pizza.
"You're an animal," she laughed as he all but devoured the slice in only seconds.
He winked at her and something in his gaze darkened, making her cheeks flush. "You have no idea."
The three of them talked over the game the rest of the night, bantering, and teasing each other. As the night went on, Caroline found herself feeling incredibly comfortable in the small Black home. It was easy to forget with them, forget her father's passing, forget why she had to move, to forget why she had asked to speak to Billy a week ago in the first place. The pendant felt heavy in her pocket. She glanced at Jake as he laughed at something his father said, the bright smile a stark contrast to the dark anger she had witnessed when she had shown him the carving. She was content to stay in this moment, she didn't want to end this, not for anything.
The trio made bets on who would win and by how much. At the end of the game, Billy was the unsurprising winner, with Caroline placing a not-close-at-all second and Jacob trailing behind in a miserable third place.
Jake got up to refill his and Caroline's waters and when he returned, he sat closer to her, their thighs nearly touching. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she took the glass from him. It was almost annoying how he was so willing to do things for her: keep her glass full, offer her blankets when she curled her legs under herself, offer her snacks on a whim.
She wondered if she really thought it was annoying, or if those were simply residual feelings from before. She leaned back into the couch, angling her back towards Jake so she could use him as rest. He lifted his arm and put it over the back of the couch, his fingers brushing her shoulder so softly it tickled. She shivered and he chuckled next to her. Definitely still annoying, she thought.
"Caroline," Billy pulled her from her thoughts. "There was a story you wanted me to tell?"
"Oh," she coughed. "Yes, there is a pendant my dad gave me, before he died." She had practiced that lie but she stuttered when she felt Jake go rigid besides her. The fingers on her shoulder disappeared. She pulled out the carving and leaned forward to hand it to Billy. She didn't miss how Jake shifted his body away from her as she did. When she leaned back into the couch he had put a few good inches between them and she hated how much it stung.
Billy rolled the carving in his fingers, examining it closely, a deep frown etched into his features. "You got this from your father?" He asked, looking her in the eyes.
She nodded slowly, not trusting her voice.
Billy exchanged a look with Jake, he started to hold it out for his son. "Have you seen-"
"I've seen it," his voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
Caroline flinched but she couldn't help the feeling of intrigue, the small blossom of hope erupting in her chest. "He told me a story once, about this," she finally said. "I found it amongst his things as I was unpacking and I couldn't remember the story."
"I thought you said he gave it to you," Billy was looking at the pendant but she was sure he was focused on her.
She swallowed. "Yes, I put all of the things he had given me in one box during the move. I didn't want them to get separated." He didn't believe her, and neither did Jake. They didn't say anything, but the shame in knowing they knew she was lying to them was worse than any scolding they could have given her.
Billy sighed a leaned back into his wheelchair before he leveled his gaze on her. "This isn't a story I have heard in many years, and it is not one I have ever told. It is not a tale that is kind to its heroes. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
Was she? "Yes," she said with more conviction than she felt.
"Very well." Billy closed his eyes. "But not tonight." Caroline's stomach dropped to her feet. "This story follows on the coattails of another legend, but I am too tired to share both tonight. There is a tribal meeting, a bonfire, this next Saturday. I will tell you then." He reached out his hand, dropping the carving into hers gently. He left no room for argument, and Caroline wasn't sure she would have anyways. "Good night, Caroline." The old man shared a long look with Jake. "Good night, son."
And he left.
Neither Jake nor Caroline moved for a few moments. The silence was deafening, and almost heartbreaking when she thought of the earlier laughter that had filled the room just minutes before. She found that she was angry. Why couldn't he just tell her? She had waited to long to discover just what was going on in La Push and she found herself so close. She couldn't place if her anger was at them for not telling her, or at herself for pushing them.
It was Jake who spoke first. "Why do you need to know?" His voice was low but it wasn't threatening. She turned to look at him. His expression was a carefully constructed mask, not giving anything away. She wished she could do the same, but she always found that she wore her heart on her sleeve.
"It's important to me," she frowned. "I need," she stopped, pulling her eyes from his gaze. The shame was beginning to drown her, and for all of the lies she had practiced, she hadn't prepared herself for this question. "I need to understand why that pendant was so important that he decided to give it to me." When she looked back it Jake she found that her eyes had started to water and she could no longer see him clearly. "He said I needed to protect it. I have to know why."
"Your father said that?" The bitterness in Jake's voice told her that he was testing her. He wanted to see if she would fess up, if she would admit guilt and trust him.
She blinked rapidly and her dark eyes met his. The mask he wore was crumbling, his jaw was clenched and his face was hard. Her breath shuddered. "Yes."
His eyebrows twitched and then the mask was in place. He looked away from her and nodded once. "Then I will see you next Saturday. You can find the door."
Caroline felt the overwhelming urge to cry, to yell at him, and to run away to be with her thoughts all at once. He started to get up and she grabbed his forearm. "Wait." He turned to look at her, the neutral expression on his face enraging and devastating her. She realized he was waiting for her to say something, to tell him the truth. She dropped his arm instead. "What about the car? I am free during the day, I can help you with her."
He finished standing, now towering over her at his full height. "I can handle it by myself." Without another word, Jake turned and walked down the hallway. She heard his door shut and she felt herself shatter.
Quickly, she put on her jacket and shoes and run out the door, across the lawn, and into her truck. Jake's truck. Caroline swore. She threw the car in reverse and raced down the street. She didn't let herself cry until she turned on the highway, but as soon as she started, she stopped herself.
She wasn't in the wrong here. Then again, maybe she was. But she wasn't the only one, she reasoned. They were lying to her as well. That excuse didn't lift the shame off of her shoulders. To her left, an anguished howl pierced the still night air. It was loud, it was close. She pressed on the gas, not slowing down until she was home.
She slept in the next couple of mornings and spent most of her days in bed looking over the photos and information Ranger Daniels had given her. She worked with Paul and he was colder than usual. They hardly spoke a word to each other the entire night, but she found it suited her - and likely him - just fine. He and Jake were friends after all. If Jake thought she was a untrustworthy, he probably did too. She was beginning to think they all did.
The only full sentence Paul had said to her was that the phone wasn't working. Any questions she had about closing while at work were kept to herself. She hoped she remembered everything she was taught, but if she screwed anything up, Paul didn't say anything.
On Thursday, Emily called while she was getting ready for work and had left her a message but she didn't bother to listen to it. She was already running late and she didn't want to have to speak to Paul. Caroline would listen to the message later.
It was pouring outside when she finally work and immediately she noticed someone else was behind the bar. He had paler skin and dirty blonde hair. He had a handsome smile but was otherwise plain. She was so used to seeing the jacked Quileute men around, that she almost thought he was scrawny. "Hey, you must be Caroline!" He smiled at her. God, she hoped he didn't see her checking him out. "Paul isn't coming in today, so I'm covering." He reached a hand out to her and she shook it, finding herself automatically comparing his normal body temperature to Jake's absurdly warm one. "My name is Nathan."
She gave him a quick rundown of everything she knew how to do and he ready and willingly answered all of her questions.
"Seems like you got most of it down! We shouldn't have any problems tonight, and by the looks of it, we won't be having very many customers."
There was only one person on the other side of the bar. They called him Old Joe, but they never bothered to check his ID so they didn't even know if it was his real name. All he ever ordered were a few mojitos anyways.
"Since we have time," Nathan grabbed a pint glass, threw it in the air, caught it and held it out to her. "Wanna show me some drinks?"
Caroline laughed, "nice trick, will you be showing me any of that?" She grabbed the glass from him.
"All in due time. Now, give me your best Moscow Mule."
They practiced making drinkings for about half an hour. No other customers came in, and Old Joe was on his third Mojito, so he would likely be leaving soon. Caroline flipped a glass in the air and nearly dropped it, bumping into Nathan and she overextended to keep it from hitting the ground.
"You're not very good at that yet, are you?"
Caroline gave him a cheeky grin and a shrug, "practice makes perfect?"
The two of them laughed as the door slammed open. "Caroline." Her eyes snapped to the door to find a soaking wet - and wearing only a long sleeve shirt - Embry Call. "Where have you been?"
She glanced around, as if it was obvious. "Work?"
"Paul said he would tell you." Embry was holding the door open, letting in a cold draft. "Emily had a miscarriage."
Caroline furrowed her brow and shook her head. The words failed to manifest themselves in any way that made sense to her. "What?" she asked dumbly.
Embry shook his head, "can you hold down the bar?" He asked Nathan who nodded mutely. "Caroline, come on, we have to go."
She stood frozen for a couple of moments, staring at Embry but not really seeing anything. He took a step into the bar and she suddenly snapped into action. She apologized to Nathan and ran out the door, Embry was already at the passenger side door. The ride to Emily and Sam's house was a blur. She threw herself through the door, Embry right behind her.
Inside, Sue most of their friends were in the living room, none of them flinched when she arrived. The air sucked out of her when she saw their faces. She made eye contact with Jake. "Where?"
He nodded towards Sam and Emily's bedroom. Caroline took off up the stairs, she heard her keys fall out of her pocket and onto the living room floor. She nearly ran right into Emily's room when she paused, before she could knock, Sam opened the door for her. Caroline looked around him and saw her sister lift the covers of the bedsheet, beckoning her forward.
Caroline immediately burst into tears then. She quickly kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed, wrapping her arms around her sister as they both sobbed.
She didn't heard Sam leave and shut the door behind him.