'✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹
"Chris Pine looks so hot," Madelline gushes as she stuffed her mouth with cheese-flavored popcorn. Paul who sat beside her, shook his head vigorously in disagreement.
"Zachary Quinto looks way better," he countered, rolling his eyes at her before focusing back on the movie playing in front of them.
Madelline managed to convince Paul to do a movie marathon inside her house after a long day at work and, of course, tons of training squeezed in between. Much to her luck, Paul wasn't on patrol either so making him join her wasn't too much of a problem.
At the very moment, their next stop was Star Trek which arouses a debate between them whether who looks much better—Chris Pine or Zachary Quinto.
"No, but look at Zoe Saldana," Madelline waved her hand over to the said girl as soon as she appeared on the screen. "She's absolutely unreal."
"That I can't disagree with," Paul agreed.
She wiggled in place as she tried to find a comfortable position with her feet propped up on the coffee table and a bowl of cheese-flavored popcorn sat in between her thighs, securing it in place. When she managed to find the best position, her sigh of relief was soon interrupted by a loud howl that echoed around the house.
Paul was quick to place his bowl on the table with Madelline in pursuit. Madelline managed to turn off the TV before taking off.
The cold breeze immediately engulfed them the moment Paul opened her door. Anyone who would have peeked out their window and seen them running their asses off toward the forest would have immediately thought they were up to no good.
Their running eventually halted upon a clearing when a huge, russet wolf stood with shaking legs at the center while Sam, Embry, and Jared surrounded it. She saw how Sam held out his hand to reassure them that they mean no harm, however, the wolf seems unconvinced as he remained alert and continuously took a few steps back away from them.
"Maddy," Embry gently called out to her, his eyes trained on the wolf. The two slowly walked toward his side, their eyes still remained on the wolf.
"Is that Jacob?" Madelline asks in a hushed tone as her eyes scan the wolf's eyes that seem to resemble someone close to her. Her question seems to get carried away along the wind as the pack remained cautious with their actions, afraid to further stress out the wolf.
Her eyebrows furrowed upon hearing how its heart is beating frantically. Her eyes softened at the sight of him, fully knowing how it must have been scary for her friend. The sudden changes in senses and identity.
"Sam," she softly calls out. "How about one of you phase behind the tree and leave your clothes there as I try to talk to him, yeah?" she offers. Sam looks at her in hesitation but all it took was a brief nod before he took a step back.
"Jacob?" she tried calling out through her mind, watching how the wolf in front of her took a surprised step away from her at the sudden voice. His head seems to shake in confusion, a huff escaping his throat.
"Why are you here? What am I? Am I a freak? What's happening to me?"
Madelline slowly neared him with her hands raised to show she means no harm. "Everything will be alright. I'm friends with them and as much as I want to answer your questions and provide you ease from your worries, it's better that you try to calm down and wait for Sam as he can explain everything a lot better than I could."
She saw how his stance seems to relax yet she could still feel how wary he was of her presence. A whimper escaped the wolf's throat in distress and panic, causing Madelline's heart to break at her friend. She knew how hard it was to be suddenly pushed into a life you were not accustomed to, a life you did not once believe could have been possible yet here she was.
She felt a soft nudge against the back of her thigh, catching her attention. She looked beside her and saw Sam in his wolf form. He sent him a nod, letting her know he has it from here. From Madelline, he looked over to the newly phased wolf whose eyes narrowed at him with wary and stance returned to alert as if it was back to its fight-or-flight mode.
"You're Sam?" Jacob asks, head tilting to the side.
Sam nodded. "To answer your question, you're a shapeshifter... just like us. You're not a freak and there is a reason why you transitioned. It would be better if we can explain the rest once we get you back to our house and you, back to your human form."
"Wha- how can I turn back? Will I turn back? Oh God, what if I'm a werewolf forever," Jacob starts to panic as he starts to pace in circles, his actions growing antsy.
Sam glances behind him and met Madelline's eyes, silently asking for help. The more Jacob gets distressed, the more he wouldn't be able to focus on transforming himself back to his human form. His state may also result in someone getting in an accident which the rest of the pack tries to avoid.
Madelline curtly nodded and neared his side, Paul and Jared immediately following in pursuit just in case things did not go their way.
"Hey, Jacob? Focus here," she orders in a calm manner. The russet wolf gradually stopped pacing in circles and met her eyes. "Just imagine what you look like in your human form as you slowly relax, okay?
The wolf in front of them seems to be confused with her words yet closes his eyes and followed her instructions. The boys watch how Jacob's wolf seems to succumb easily to her words as it slowly transitioned back to his human form. They shared a knowing look as Madelline neared Jacob with a blanket.
"Thank you," Jacob breathes out as he wraps the blanket around his body, a tinge of pink appearing on his cheeks upon realizing that Madelline saw him in his vulnerable state. Madelline only smiled softly at him and pats his head.
"Happy to help, Jake."
She turned her back on him as Embry now walk to where she was, nearing his best friend. Madelline saw how Sam walked out behind the tree with his clothes on. His eyes darted between Jacob and Madelline before sending the latter a grateful smile. He slung his arm over her shoulder as soon as he nears her.
"Thanks for the help, Maddy," he said. "But, I can't help but notice something."
Madelline looked up to meet his eyes, curiosity filled her eyes. "What is it?"
"What you did do earlier? How Jacob seems to be compelled by you, your voice changed."
"Compelled?! Changed?!"
Sam nodded. "I think you're a cerebrokinesis—a mind controller."
"A Cerebro-what?!"