16: Katie

KATIE'S POVFebruary 22nd

Despite how many times I called Jacob on the phone, he wasn't answering me. I called once, twice, sometimes even three times a day. And he never called back.

I'd been trying to check up on him since my birthday, but Billy told me he has been in bed for a few days. Which sucks, of course, but he hasn't even left me a message. Maybe it was stupid, but it hurt. He was my best friend, and he couldn't deign to pick up the phone when I called? Even once? All I wanted to do was make sure he was okay.

I finally broke through today. After the second ring, Jake answered the phone. "Hello?" His voice cracked when he spoke, like he had not spoken for a while. I instantly felt guilty. And concerned.

"Jake," I said breathlessly. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No, you're fine," he said, croaking.

"Do you feel any better?" I asked hopefully.

"Not really." His voice was unsure, reserved. I had never heard his voice so unsteady.

"I feel horrible. I should have made you stay home with me. This sucks." I felt miserable. He was sick because of me, no doubt.

"I'm glad I went. Don't blame yourself, Katie. This isn't your fault." His voice was still a whisper.

It was definitely my fault. "You'll get better soon, Jake. I was only sick for a couple of days."

Jake paused. "You were sick?"

"Yeah, but I'm better now. You'll probably recover in a day or two." And then, everything would go back to normal.

"I don't think I have what you did, Katie." His voice sounded pained, like it physically hurt to be talking to me. My heart broke a little more.

"Oh. What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

"Everything. Every part of me hurts," he whispered.

"I'll stop by later and drop off some—"

"No," he interrupted, voice suddenly hard. "You can't come here." He was abrupt, much more so than I was expecting.

"I've already been exposed to what you have, Jake. And it's not too far of a drive. I'll just—" I began to offer, but he cut me off again.

"I've got to go. I'll call you when you can come down again." He said, still sounding weary.

What was I supposed to say to that? "Okay." My voice sounded so quiet. It was strange to hear. "Call me when you feel better?"

Jake paused. "Okay." His voice was bitter and sharp. He fell silent. I was waiting for his goodbye, but he waited, too.

"Talk to you again soon?" My voice was childishly hopeful, despite all that he had said.

"Wait for me to call," he responded. "Bye, Katie." He whispered my name, then hung up the phone.

I don't know why I felt so heavy after that. I knew something was wrong, deeper than what he had said to me. Was he mad at me? That I had forced him to go out on my birthday and it had gone so terribly wrong? Even though I had recovered, the thought was enough to make me sick to my stomach. If Jacob was mad at me, I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

So I waited for him to call.

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KATIE'S POVMarch 4th

Jake and I still haven't spoken.

Billy told Charlie that Jake has mono, and that while he's still sick they are under a no visitors allowed policy. While that fact sucked, it still didn't explain why he couldn't call me. Why he didn't call me back. I had tried to stay out of it, really. Give him space to get better. But honestly, why couldn't he just leave me one message to let me know he was okay? I was worried. It ate me alive deep down to know he was sick and I couldn't be there for him. That I wasn't allowed to be there for him.

Despite myself, I checked the phone for messages every day after school. Charlie and Bella noticed, I know they did. But neither said anything. Until last night, that is.

"Katie, has Jacob called back yet?" Charlie asked conversationally at dinner. I knew he had seen my desperation, but he hated to meddle. I had bet that he wouldn't get involved. Turns out I was wrong.

I frowned into my plate. "No, not yet." My voice sounded defeated, even to my own ears. I swallowed hard to cover it up.

"Did something... happen between you two before he got sick?" Charlie asked, albeit awkwardly.

I shook my head. "No? I don't know. I don't think so." It came out as a sigh.

Charlie frowned. "Maybe I should see Billy and find out what's up. Maybe their phone lines are out again."

"Maybe," I nodded even though I didn't agree.

Today, Charlie let me know that Jacob was feeling better and was hanging out with his friends. That's what he had heard from Billy, at least.

First, I was relieved. Jacob was okay. Things were coming back to normal soon. He was hanging out with his friends again.

Call me selfish, but that stung. His friends had practically abandoned him a few weeks ago, but suddenly he recovers and they've all made up? I had figured that as soon as he felt better I would be the first one he called. Maybe I just didn't know him as well as I thought.

Honestly, Jake's silence was strange and a bit insulting. I missed my friend. I missed him more than ever. But I had nobody to talk about it with except Bella, who I felt bad unloading this onto. Jake was her friend, too.

If he was avoiding me because of our unresolved romantic tension, I was willing to give him more space. I really was. But I still wanted him to talk to me about it first. Icing me out was cruel.

"Good." I responded to Charlie, forcing a smile. "That's great. I'm glad he feels better."

He shakes his head. "You don't have to be okay with it."

Charlie was right. I was miserable. He sat next to me on the couch, rubbing his palms on his jeans. "I know I'm not your Dad," he says quietly, making my breath catch, "but I'm here if you want to talk about it."

I nod, thinking it through. "I miss him," I say, and my voice is thick. "He's my best friend. Other than Bella," I add, but it's hard to compare the two because Bella is more like my sister. I sigh shakily. "I don't know if he thinks we're friends anymore." When I say the last part, a tear escapes me, and I have to take a gasping breath.

"I'm sorry," Charlie says quietly, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. Like a kid, I duck my head into his chest and cry. My hands are trembling as I wipe my own tears away.

I gasp, trying to lean my head far enough back that I don't get his shirt wet. "I don't know what's happening between us. I think... I think that maybe I've scared him away. It's been tense between us."

"Tense how?" Charlie asks protectively.

My lip quivers. Well, might as well lay myself bare. "I think he is trying to get space from me. I... I think I might like him more than a friend. Maybe he can tell," I cry.

He stays silent a moment, rubbing my back. "That boy follows you around with puppy eyes. I'm sure it's another reason. He'd be a fool to walk away because you two have feelings for each other."

"What should I do?" I ask miserably, the tears stopping almost as suddenly as they came.

"That's for you to decide, Katie. You can let him be an idiot, or you could go and talk to him. Figure out what he has to say."

I nod, pulling back and wiping my wet cheeks. Unable to say anything more, I stand.

Charlie looks almost as upset as I feel. "Do you want me to stay home today? I was planning on going fishing, but it can wait."

I shook my head quickly. "No. I was planning on doing something with Bella today." Not a complete lie. "Have fun with Harry."

"Thanks." Charlie said, and began packing up his lunch quickly.

As soon as he left, I approached Bella's room. "Hey, Bells?"

"Yeah Katie?" She replied, closing her math textbook quickly when she saw my tear-stained cheeks. "What's up?"

I thought through my options quickly. "Do you feel like going for a hike?"

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Bella led her way through the forrest as if in a trance. We didn't say much, the two of us, but the silence was companionable. I followed right on her heels. We had been walking miles. I knew that if I was by myself this would be much quicker, but I had no way of guiding myself to the clearing. And it was better with Bella, anyways.

Suddenly, we reached the clearing. I had never seen it before, only in dreams, but I knew this was it. The grass was patchy and dry, just as I had expected at this time of year. The trees surrounding the clearing were lush and dense, and I could almost picture the large red wolf perched in the middle, looking back at me.

Bella's face crumpled when she saw the clearing, but she didn't say anything. I knew she must be remembering something, something about Edward. Bracing myself, I reached out and squeezed her hand, for both her comfort and mine. A wave of true anguish hit me then. It made me realize how deep that longing for him still was within her. It made me feel guilty for bringing her here.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy for a moment and the hair on my arms raised. Vampire, Vampire, it urged in warning.

I snapped my head to the far end of the clearing, just in time for a vampire to step out of the woods. He was short, dark and muscular. Bella's eyes widened in recognition. "Laurent?" She asked, and my heart pounded.

Laurent, as in Johnathan's Laurent? The one who had been in James' coven? I snapped my head to peer at Bella, who looked at the vampire in awe. She didn't seem scared at all. She looked relieved.

"Bella?" Laurent replied, astonished. He was halfway across the clearing now, only a few steps from where we stood. His eyes drifted to me. "And..."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Turn away now, Laurent. Go. I pushed the thought into his head with so much force that it almost knocked the wind out of me.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Johnathan's girl. What a coincidence."

I frowned. I'm serous. Leave us be.

"Or what?" Laurent seemed to tease. "I didn't expect to see either of you here."

Bella seemed surprised, but not by the interaction between us. "I thought you had gone to Alaska."

Laurent grinned wolfishly. "I did. When I saw the Cullen house was empty, I had figured they moved on..."

Bella reddened a tiny bit. "They did. Move on, I mean."

"I thought you to be a pet of theirs." Laurent said, condescending in the way only vampires can be. "And you... well, Katelyn, I had thought you died when Damien killed your parents."

Last chance. I was trembling with rage and fear and adrenaline. Leave.

Laurent ignored me, raising his hands in faux innocence. "Do the Cullens visit often?"

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "Yes. Now and again. The Cullens would be happy to know of your arrival, I should think. Well, most of them. I don't think Edward has quite forgiven you." It was a bluff, but the words registered with him; I could tell by the way his eyes narrowed. "Not you, specifically. James. But I don't think he'd have a problem taking it out on you."

"I suppose you haven't forgiven James either, then?" Laurent posed, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "He's dead, isn't he? So far, I have issues with you. We could cut this little rendezvous short and nobody else has to know."

Laurent tsked. "You see, I would love to, but Victoria... she hasn't quite forgiven Edward for killing her mate." The pit in my stomach was almost painful. "And it is my duty to pay that debt for her. Besides. You two smell absolutely mouth-watering."

Protectively, I stepped in front of Bella, as if I that would do much in this situation. "Don't even think about it," I growled.

But he approached anyways, playful and taunting. I prepared myself to fight him off, to claw and kick and at least make his victory less rewarding, when he began to back up. His eyes widened at something behind us.

That's when I felt the thrum. A crackling, bright energy I had felt around Sam that night when Bella went missing. I turned and saw it; a large, black animal that began stalking towards Laurent. It was huge. At least the height of a horse, but lean and muscular. It had a long muzzle, pulled into a growl, and it struck me that this animal was like a wolf. A bear-sized wolf, at that, but still a wolf.

It padded closer to us. Bella was stick straight next to me, hardly moving, and I thought to do the same. I was ready to run, though, to drag Bella with me if necessary.

Laurent began backing away, eyes wide. It surprised me that this animal would scare him— after all, didn't he have an advantage over the wolf-bear? But two more wolves flanked the beast, each as majestic and scary as their leader. One was as grey as stone and the other dark brown. Neither were as big as the first, but still impressive in size.

My eyes darted back to Laurent, and when I looked back two more of these wolf-like creatures appeared in a V. The last wolf, trailing the pack, was only an arm's length away.

Bella gasped. I held my breath, terrified that the animals would turn on us, but only the last wolf paid any attention.

The wolf's eyes were dark, nearly black. The animal's coat was a reddish brown; just like the one who had been in my dream. We stared at each other, and suddenly I thought of Jacob.

The leader growled, drawing both of our attentions— and the wolves began chasing Laurent. Laurent was fast, but these wolves were nearly so. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them, not until they were long gone.

Bella and I turned to each other and ran home.

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"No, Dad, it was wolves!" Bella protested, eyes wide. She had fallen once or twice on our mad dash back to the car, and had shallow scrapes on her cheek. "They were huge."

"Why the hell were you two in the woods?" Charlie asked, running a hand over his eyes. But he didn't press us on it any more— he made a call to the station, promising to return soon.

When he did return, he was frowning. As soon as he saw me, he said, "I saw Jacob."

"Oh?" I asked, trying not to sound too intrigued. "What did he say?"

Charlie shook his head. "Nothing. He was with his friends. They looked like they were arguing. And he looks... different."

"Different how?" It blurted out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Bigger. He looks bigger every time I see him." Charlie shrugged, and went to the couch. "Anyways. Just... thought you'd like to know."

I walked away, my head spinning from exertion. After running and using my abilities to warn Laurent, I felt exhausted down to the bone. I wondered if Jacob had been with Quil and Embry. Maybe they had fixed things. Maybe they had dropped out of Sam's gang. I was glad for Jacob. I knew he missed them.

Selfishly, it also made me sad. Sad that he hung out with them, who he was on the outs with, before calling me back.

I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. My jealousy was the least of my problems. We could have been killed today, Bella and I. There were vampires on the loose— vampires that wanted Bella dead, no doubt. I hope the wolves killed Laurent, because otherwise he'll report back to this... Victoria and come back to finish us off. Finish her off.

For the first time since they had left, I wished the Cullens would come back.