flare | JACOB BLACK [2]

~ THIRTY FOUR ~

~~

The pack was told to show up in human form today. Apparently, there was something important we all needed to discuss. Surprisingly, the pack complied. It showed the trust that was beginning to grow between the Cullens and us.

We were all gathered around Alice and Jasper. He was comforting her through subtle gestures and touches; she must've seen something bad in a vision. After a moment, she began to speak.

"They're going to be here tomorrow, the newborns. I still haven't gotten a sign of Victoria yet, but we should still prepare for her." She announced.

"Prepare for her, how?" Sam asked.

"We'll meet the newborns here in this clearing. And since Victoria will likely be after Bella we've decided to keep her away from the fight, up on the mountain. Edward is going with her but, he might need extra help. We were going to ask if you could send someone up there with them. Or maybe two."

Jacob looked at me immediately. He wanted me to volunteer; to be away from the fight. But I wanted to help where it mattered most and that was on the battlefield. Before I could protest, Jacob threw my name out.

"Sam, you should send Avery with them," Jacob said. "They're good friends, her and Bella. It'd be best if she was there."

My mouth opened slightly in shock. Jacob knew I wanted to be part of the fight. I couldn't believe he would actually do that to me. Sam looked at both of us. He must've known about Jacob's imprint on me otherwise, he would've said no.

"Avery's the best choice," Sam stated. "She'll go. We can't send anyone else though, we need as many as possible in the fight."

I crossed my arms and tried to remain calm. I had done so much training, and it might not even be put to use. I knew Sam wouldn't have sent me if it wasn't for Jacob.

"Alright, let's make the most out of our last time training." Jasper announced, and we all broke off.

We all had a certain section where we shifted. We didn't want to destroy every outfit we wore during training. I usually went a bit farther away from the guys.

As I began walking away, I knew Jacob was going to try and catch up to me. I was proved right when I heard his footsteps close behind me. The rest of the guys had gone in a slightly different direction.

"Avery, listen, please I'm sorry. I just—you know I couldn't," Jacob grabbed my arm lightly and stopped me. He looked over my face to make sure I wasn't extremely upset. "It's just I have a really bad feeling about this. A bad thing would most likely happen during the fight, and if something happens—I don't want it to happen to you."

"But you knew I wanted to help with the fight. And I thought you said you weren't going to stop me?" I said, recalling a recent memory.

"I didn't think there was a way to stop you then. I'd rather you be up there. It would be safer and that's all I want."