Four Paws

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

A/N I hope you have all had a merry Christmas and enjoyed yourselves. Sorry for this sort of filler chapter. A better quality chapter will be published tomorrow.

           

As soon as we arrive home, I throw open the car door and run into the forest.

"Farren." My mom sadly calls.

"Let her go." Dad solemnly says. My feet found at the ground and soon I'm concealed within the foliage. After Harry's death was announced, everyone but the immediate family and friends went home. It was early afternoon, and even the sky seemed to mourn for Harry, dark clouds brew overhead, ready to spill tears of rain, just like our friends and family did hours ago. I pull my clothes off with such force, I rip my shirt in half. I shift instantly and bound along the perimeters of our house. I am alone, for now. I grieve for Harry in silence and for his family. Our pack will have two new members now, Leah and her younger brother Seth. I am grateful to not be the only female shifter in existence now, the company will be nice. And Seth, a cheerful guy in my year, a few months older than me I believe. It'll be nice to get to know him I decide. I haven't spoken to him before but I have seen him around, with his constant smile and kind personality. I continue my run for another five minutes, focusing my attention on the sounds of the forest.

A new set of thoughts enters my mind and I sense Jake, anger and anguish filling his mind. The strong metallic scent that vampires have overwhelm my senses and I see the Swan house. His memories roll out before me, a constant reel of the past hour. Bella and Jake are driving to Charlie's. A black car, one that belongs to the Cullens is parked outside. The treaty can't be violated, Jake refuses to go inside. I see Bella get out of the car and into the house where a believed Cullen is. Jake's worry when Bella takes too long inside, his blatant disregard for the treaty he has now broken when he walks through the front door. I then see Alice and feel the pain Jake felt when Bella chose him the Cullen, the one who broke her. The stabbing in Jake's heart when Bella yells at him for hanging up on Edward, the leech. Jake's hatred toward him. She chose him over Jake, the one who fixed her. And finally when Bella and Alice sped away in Carlisle's car, on a trip to Italy to save Edward who believed Bella was dead and was planning on killing himself. A million emotions rush through me when the memories stop.

Oh Jake I cry, paws thumping on the forest floor.

She left me Farren. No matter what I do for her and how much I love her, she chose him. Jake says, heartbreakingly.

Jake I begin but he's gone from my mind. He has shifted back. I slow down my running, breathing heavily and come to a stop. I realise that the clothes I was wearing before are strewn all over the forest, not to mention that my top is ripped. I look around I see one of the trees that I have put spare clothes near, about 50 metres away so I bound over there, shifting back gracefully. I put on the undergarments, shorts and a singlet I left there and walk back to the house. It's only then that I realise how late it is. The sun has well and truly set, the moon consisting of a blurry white orb behind the layer of clouds. As if acknowledging their existence, rain begins to pour down, wetting my clothes and hair. I huff and continue the short hike back home.

As I enter the small valley behind our house I see most of the lights are on. I climb the porch steps and open the sliding door. Inside sits Billy Black, Charlie Swan, my parents and Embry.

"Feeling better sweetie?" Mom asks from behind the kitchen counter. She is leaning on it, sipping a cup of tea.

"Yes. I needed some time alone." I saw glumly.

"Hello Farren." Billy sadly says from his wheelchair at the dinner table where him and the other men sit, cups of coffee and tea beside them.

"Hello Billy, Charlie." I greet quietly.

"I can't believe Bells would go and leave. I come home to the house empty, clothes strewn around the room and a short note on the kitchen counter." Charlie says disappointedly. I notice that his eyes are tired looking and still red from before and that they are trained on the mug in front of him. My eyes travel to Billy who gives me a look to remain quite. Charlie doesn't know about the Cullens being vampires, and he certainly has no clue about the pack. They resume their conversation, talking about arrangements for Harry's funeral and how Sue, Leah and Seth are going. I bade everyone goodnight and head upstairs, Embry trailing right behind me.

He heads straight into his room whilst I continue on into the bathroom, losing the door behind me. I undress then step into the shower. A jet of ice-cold water hits my back as I turn on the taps. Before I would've jumped, stepping out from under the showerhead quickly. Now I stand still, the cold water not having any effect on my scalding skin. It doesn't take long for the water to heat up and I begin washing as soon as it does. With no distractions I let my mind wander as soap suds slide down my back whilst I shampoo my hair. Deaths within a tribe are always hard, especially in a tribe as small as ours. Everyone knows one another in Forks, many even knowing the names of everyone's great grandparents. It's how small towns are. By tomorrow evening, the entirety of Forks will know of the Cullen's and Bella's departure, no doubt followed by strenuous gossip and questioning looks for when they return. For once, I feel glad that I attend school on the reservation, and not Forks High. By now I am simply standing in the shower, having finished washing.

Reluctantly, I turn off the taps and step out into the bathroom and wrap a white towel around myself. I put my clothes into the wash basket before I cross the hallway and enter my room. I can hear Embry's deep breathing as I change into a pair of grey leggings and an oversized blue shirt. He's been exhausted from patrols lately and it pains me not being able to help. I decide to call Billy's house to check up on Jacob. He must be finding it tough. I hang my towel on the hook behind my door and plod over to my desk, sitting down on the hard wooden chair. I dial his number and hold the receiver up to my ear as I brush my damp hair with my free hands.

Jake's husky voice comes through on the other end, distorted by the poor quality of the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake." I greet kindly. "How you holding up?" I hear him huff on the other end, as if amused by my question.

"How do you think?" I find myself unsurprised by his retort.

"I know. Stupid question." I chastise myself, "I just rang to make sure you're alright. You seemed pretty upset before."

Jake softens his tone as he replies, "I'm fine now, don't worry about me." His attempt at being convincing is poor. He's a terrible liar, just like Bella.

"No, you're not. We've known each other our whole lives Jake, I can tell when you're upset."

The line goes silent for a moment, Jacob's steady breathing being the only sound. "You're a good friend Farren but I need to figure this out on my own. Thanks for calling." The finality in his tone is the only reason I don't press him further. If he doesn't want to talk about it, I can't force it out of him.

"Just...ring if you need anything, alright?"

"I will. Anyway, patrol is in ten minutes so I better go. I'll see you soon yeah?"

"Yep, night Jake."

"G'night Farren." And the line goes dead. I sigh, putting the phone back onto the stand. Who to phone next? Quil comes immediently into mind and I begin to dial his number. Just as I press the last digit I pause. What will I say to him? Hey Quil, sorry about suddenly disappearing for a few weeks at school and completely ignoring you when I return without any explanation. Just decided to call to see how you're doing but giving you no explanation what so ever since I'm under an oath not to tell you. You'll find out soon enough, cya.

No. Ringing Quil is not a good idea, not until he shifts and finds out the truth. I delete the numbers and check the time on my alarm clock. 10:45 pm. I walk over to my bed, turning off the main light as I go, and head under the covers. I switch off my side lamp and close my eyes. Sleep overcomes me.