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alwaysonthemend · 1 year ago

Text

Part IV: Storm's a Brewin'

Author's Note: Sorry in advance for the cliffhanger lol. I promise I won't make you wait too long ;)

Word Count: 3812

Warnings: Graphic depiction of death and violence / torture / blood / swearing / pirate shit

18+ only. Minors DNI

:¨·.·¨:☾☆༺ 𓆩⚔︎𓆪 ༻☆☽:¨·.·¨:

Sleep had been fitful – I had tossed and turned the whole night through, never quite falling fully asleep. Giving up, I had risen and sat myself at Jacob’s desk, prepared to begin the painstaking task of translating my father’s codes.

These codes are difficult to translate as they are all just a strange amalgamation of different symbols from all across the globe – some Norse, some taken from the Natives in America, some from old sailor’s journals. And some of the symbols are made up, unique to whoever wrote the cipher.

And that is where the difficulty lies in decoding them.

The first page had been relatively simple. Just a few cardinal directions and talk of a mountain-scape that lies “at the end of all things” – whatever that may mean.

Though I had become increasingly more nervous as I translated, as one singular word kept repeating itself.

Danger.

Over and over and over again that word was printed. Danger of what? It does not yet say. But it leaves a strange feeling in my stomach, as though we are all travelling towards something that we cannot begin to understand.

That one word, scrawled over and over again in my father’s hand felt wrong. My father was not a man who was easily frightened. Nor was he an overly cautious one. And yet here he was, repeating this one word over and over again. It leaves a sour taste on my tongue.

–

The sound of heavy footfalls above deck breaks me from my concentration. I straighten from where I had been hunched over the pages, straining my ears to listen.

“Avast! Hoist the black flag!”

That’s Jacob’s voice, calling loudly over the din.

A sudden booming noise rings out and I gasp as the sound hits my ears. The whole ship rocks and groans. Startled, I rise from my place and dart to the door. I throw it open quickly and begin a mad dash towards the stairs. Just as I reach the bottom step to begin my ascent, Daniel’s large frame makes its way through the hatch.

“Miss! Stay down here. We are under attack!” He calls, words frantic and spilling from his lips quickly. “It is not safe for you on deck.”

“Under attack by whom?”

Daniel does not answer right away, instead grabbing me by the shoulders and leading me back to the captain’s room.

“In here.” He ushers me through the threshold and shuts the door behind us.

“Daniel, by whom?” I demand, my voice rising a few octaves.

“We do not know, miss. They had black flags, so we hoisted our own but they continued their attack anyway.”

The ship rocks again as yet another boom sounds from above and I cringe at the sound of the wood creaking and groaning.

I look to Daniel, hoping that he might ease my nerves, but he looks just as concerned as I am. His eyes are trained on the door, his head tilted as he listens.

“Daniel?” I start, but he shushes me.

The distant sound of men’s cries make my heart begin to pound. Anxiety wraps itself around my chest like a vice, squeezing the air from my lungs as I think of Jacob up there. Skilled as he may be, he is injured.

“Daniel, please.” I whisper and finally he turns his eyes to look at me.

He quirks a brow, silently telling me to continue.

“The Captain… his fighting arm is injured. I-” I silence myself, unable to formulate my worries further.

Another loud crash from above. The ship rocks. Men are yelling.

“The Captain is skilled with both hands. He will be alright.” Is the only answer Daniel gives.

We both fall back to silence, listening.

There are no more sounds from above. The ship is steady and it seems that the attack is over.

“Stay here.” He says, before slipping out the door.

“Daniel!” I call, but he’s gone.

I stand there for a long moment, debating within myself whether to follow or not. The last time I snuck away had not ended well, but the worry brewing in my belly is too much for me to bear down here alone.

Huffing a breath, I slip out the door and follow.

:¨·.·¨:☾☆༺ 𓆩⚔︎𓆪 ༻☆☽:¨·.·¨:

Joshua POV

The adrenaline from the attack begins to wear off, leaving in its wake a bone deep exhaustion. We had not been prepared. Least of all for an attack from our own people.

We had been forced to kill them. Their bodies now lay on the deck, their blood oozing into the wooden beams of the Starcatcher. For some reason, the thought makes me nauseous. When we first set out on this God-forsaken journey… I never imagined that we would have to kill. Let alone so many. And yet here we are, our hands drenched in blood.

Jacob had sent the remaining crew (we had lost three in the melee) up to the deck to dispose of the bodies and clean the best that they are able. Myself, Samuel, and now Daniel, stand and watch in silent horror as Jacob drags the captain of the enemy ship (he calls himself Avery) across the floor – pushing him roughly into a chair. Jacob has his cutlass drawn, its blade dripping red already as he points it. I hate the sight of it.

“Who the fuck sent you?” Jacob demands, a dangerous edge to his voice. His eyes are narrowed and that terrible, stone-like expression sits on his face. My twin he may be, but sometimes I find even myself intimidated by him.

Avery only narrows his eyes before spitting a glob of saliva at Jacob’s shoes.

“No one.” He answers, eyes blazing defiantly. “No one sent me.”

“And I don’t believe you.” Jacob answers back.

“You’re not special. We saw a ship. So we attacked. We weren’t sent by anyone.”

“You attacked another ship with black flags?” Samuel demands from beside me, but there is a tiny tremble to his voice.

He had been rattled, too, by the death that had taken place above. I forget how young he is, sometimes. There is no doubt in my heart that he can handle himself and I worry not that he can carry his own. But still… he is only just a few years past boyhood.

“Guess we didn’t see ‘em.”

Jacob hums before turning to me.

“Ropes?”

I nod, stepping forward towards the man and rounding behind him. With little care, I roughly grab Avery's wrists and cross them behind the chair. I wrap the rope around them tightly, making sure to secure the knot well before stepping backwards. Jacob ‘s eyes flash to me and then towards Daniel and Samuel. I lock eyes with him for a moment. We stand frozen there for a moment as I read the words behind his eyes. He wants us to leave. Subtly, I shake my head and return to stand next to Sam and Daniel.

“You see,” Jacob starts, turning back to Avery and sheathing his cutlass. “I just can’t seem to believe you.”

“Pity.”

Jacob laughs suddenly, stepping in close so that he stands between Avery's legs.

“You have one more chance. Who sent you?”

“Fuck you.”

It barely registers as Jacob rears back and slams his fist into his face, the blow making his head snap to the side and a groan of pain to leave his lips.

Daniel gasps quietly beside me and Samuel takes a step forward. I grab his arm and hold him back.

I wish desperately that Jacob had sent them away at least.

“I asked, who sent you?” Jacob demands again, grabbing the man’s collar and leaning in close.

Avery spits out a wad of blood onto the floor.

“And I said fuck you.”

In a flash, Jacob’s hand reaches down, gripping his pointer finger and snapping it backwards. Avery cries out in agony, tossing his head back as his chest heaves. Jacob reaches down and grabs another finger but this time Avery stops him, his words tumbling from him frantically.

“Fuck, okay!”

Jacob pauses, hand still wrapped around his middle finger. He stares, and though I cannot see his face, I know what emotions lie there. Doubt, surely. And stone-cold rage.

“I don't know who he is. He sent me to find you."

“I'm not so sure I believe that, either.” Jacob answers ever so calmly, as if he has not just snapped this man's finger in two. I refuse to look at the damage. I would rather spare my mind of the sight.

With a sickening crack, Jacob breaks another finger. This time, Avery's scream rings out louder before trailing off in a pained whimper. All bravado gone, he looks up at my brother with pleading eyes.

"Fuck, stop!'

“Keep fucking talking! Everything. Tell me everything.”

“No.”

Jacob hums, stepping backwards and crossing his arms. He places his hand on the handle of his cutlass, running his fingertips over the metal.

“Keep talking. Or you lose your whole fucking hand.”

Avery whimpers again, shaking his head and blinking up at Jacob. No doubt the pain is making his thoughts fuzzy.

“He found me.” He finally relents, his shaky voice ringing out in the silence. “At Nassau. Said he wanted a ship called Starcatcher hunted down and sunk.”

“He knew my ship by name?”

He nods once before casting his eyes downwards to look at his mutilated hand. Immediately, he shuts them tight and looks away again.

“He said… He said leave no one alive except the girl.”

Jacob’s face twitches - a barely there sign that he's startled.

Daniel and Samuel both turn to look at me with wide, questioning eyes, as if I somehow know the answers. I do not look at them, instead keeping my eyes trained on my twin.

I knew that bringing a Calloway with us was dangerous, especially one who holds those damned papers. The papers that Jacob has dragged us all over the fucking seas for. They're a dangerous item to possess. Few know of their existence… but those that do want them. Covet them. The last remaining information on where it is. And it seems now that the secret is out. A target has been painted on our backs. And on her back as well.

Jacob leans in close to the man, his face merely inches from his and his voice is low as he speaks again.

“What was his name?”

Avery meets his gaze, a renewed fire in his eyes.

“I will not tell you.”

This time, the blow that Jacob lands on him is even harder. The crack of his nose beneath Jacob's fist makes me cringe. Blood pours down his face, coating his lips and chin.

Jacob rears back and strikes again. And again. Once more before finally Avery relents.

“Thomas! Thomas Lowe. Fuck, please. That's all I know! I swear that's all I know!”

The breath punches out of my lungs and it feels as though ice water has been dumped on my head. It feels like a dream… a terrible, awful dream that I must wake up from at any moment.

“You're a liar.” Jacob growls, fisting Avery's collar in his grip. “Thomas Lowe is dead. I killed him.”

The man shakes his head frantically, a crack in his submissive character at last. With a wicked smile - his lips stretched wide to reveal his red stained teeth, he shakes his head.

“You sunk his ship, aye. But did you ever see his body?”

“He's fucking dead.” Jacob says through clenched teeth, his body visibly shaking as his anger mounts.

“Killed your girl and you couldn't even kill him back.” Avery says with a grin, huffing a laugh as he watches Jacob’s face contort with guilt. “Some Captain you are.”

That does it.

“You don't know shit!” Jacob’s voice cracks as he screams the words, spittle flying from his lips before he strikes again.

With a ferocity I have never seen from him before, he lands blow after blow on the poor man. The sound of knuckles against flesh is sickening and the barely there groans of pain are muddled and wet with blood.

“Captain! Enough!” Daniel finally calls, running to grab Jacob by the shoulders and pulling him off.

With a mighty yell Jacob shoves him away, sending Daniel crashing to the floor. Without missing a beat Jacob turns back to continue his assault.

“Sam!” I bark, grabbing his arm and yanking him forward. “Help me!”

Jacob does not cease in his attack – only growing more frantic with each strike. There is no pause, no moment where he slows down. Blow after blow until at last Avery no longer moves, his head only lulling to the side with each strike as blood cascades down his face. His chest is still.

Jacob’s teeth are bared in a feral snarl as he fights against us. Samuel grabs his arms and pins them behind him as I grab his shoulders and pull him backwards.

“Jacob, he's dead! He's dead! That's fucking enough!”

It's like he can't hear as he keeps struggling against us. It takes both of us to keep him restrained, but he keeps fighting to break free.

“Stop!”

All three of our heads whip quickly around to see Y/n, her face awash with horror, standing just on the inside of the threshold. There are tears brimming in her eyes.

“Please stop.” She echoes, a tremble in her voice.

Like a switch has been flipped, Jacob stills.

As he does so, Daniel rises from his place on the floor, wincing quietly.

“I told you to stay in your room.” He murmurs, eyes casting towards my twin with a look I never thought he would ever give to Jacob: Fear. He is afraid of him.

“And I didn't listen.” She says, pushing her chin up and attempting to hide the shake in her words.

Samuel - our sweet, young Samuel, watches Jacob with wary eyes. He's afraid too.

Jacob does not speak for a long moment. His chest heaves and his hands - clenched at his side and sticky with blood, tremble. Finally, he shrugs his shoulders from my grip and with slow, deliberate steps, he walks to where Y/n stands.

She shrinks away from him, pressing her back into the doorframe as he passes by.

Just like that, he disappears out of sight.

“How much of that did you hear?”

She casts her eyes to me, a determined glimmer in her eyes.

“All of it. And I think you owe me an explanation for what the fuck is going on.”

I nod at her once, staring after where Jacob had disappeared. I feel as though I may vomit after such a display from him. Whoever that was… it was not Jacob. Not my Jacob at least. My Jacob would never have done such a thing. Least of all in front of his own little brother.

Samuel and Daniel are afraid of him. His crew – once his closest friends, are terrified of him. This poor girl, plucked from her home with no explanation, is afraid of him.

Dear God.

I think with detached horror.

I might be afraid of him, too.

:¨·.·¨:☾☆༺ 𓆩⚔︎𓆪 ༻☆☽:¨·.·¨:

My heart pounds as I close the door behind myself and Joshua. For once, there is no aggression in his form as he regards me – in its place nothing but a sadness that makes me feel as though he might shatter before my very eyes.

“I am tired of the secrets, Joshua.” I tell him, sitting down heavily in the chair by Jacob’s desk. “Tell me the truth. All of it. I think I am owed that, at least.”

Joshua nods, sitting himself on the foot of the bed.

“It is a long story, lass.” He sighs, brown eyes boring into my own.

“We have time.”

He sighs deeply, his shoulders drooping – like he’s folding in on himself.

“What do you know of your father? Of your family?”

I shake my head, clasping my hands in my lap.

“Very little. My mother died when I was a child. My father not long after. I never was told anything.”

Joshua nods once, one hand coming up to tap his pointer finger upon his bottom lip. He looks so much older now as I look at him. For the very first time since meeting him, a pang of sympathy shoots through me.

“The Calloways used to be famous – they were always sticking their noses where they didn’t belong, inserting themselves in others business… and somehow always managing to make a profit from it. Your father was just like them. Until your mother died. He fell off the face of the planet.”

“After my mother, he was driven mad with sorrow. Or so my grandmother told me. I never knew what he was like before. I only knew the man he became.”

Joshua’s gaze feels piercing – like he’s looking right through me. This time, it does not make me feel threatened. There is pity there in his brown eyes. And though a part of me hates it, a small broken little part of my soul is oddly comforted.

“Rumour began to circulate that he was on the hunt for something… something that could bring someone back from the dead.” He pauses a moment and I hold my breath, afraid that if I break the silence he will stop speaking. But he carries on. “And apparently he found it. Or at least was told where it is.”

“It?” I ask him, leaning forwards slightly, my palms growing clammy.

“A mirror. A mirror that is said to grant one wish. And your father found where it was.”

“He was always gone.” My eyes fixate themselves on the dim glow of the lantern. “We never knew where he was.”

“He was all over looking for its location – asking and begging and bribing until… I guess until he finally found someone who knew. But word got out, people heard that he had found what he was looking for. And of course… The promise of any wish granted had every living pirate out on the hunt for him. We are all doomed to one of two endings, Y/n: a watery grave or a noose. To wish for freedom… money, jewels… It is a tempting thing.”

“That is not what the Captain is after, is it?”

Joshua shakes his head.

“He seeks something worth far more than that. Just as your father sought to bring back your mother, Jacob wishes to bring back his wife. They killed your father for the information – And I fear this quest may claim Jacob’s life as well.” The last part comes out as only a whisper – an admission likely not meant for my ears at all.

The information swirls around in my brain – pieces clicking into place for the first time in my life.

“They killed my father, but he had already left the directions back in Easthallow… so they did not get them.”

“Aye" Joshua affirms with a nod. "But still people want them. And they know that you have ‘em. Jacob got to you first, but there is a target on our backs now.”

Detached dread courses through my veins. There has always been a part of my mind that knew that I would return home one day… that all this would just be a thing of the past in a few years time.

And yet here Joshua is, squashing any hope I once had. I am wanted. We all are. And as much as I resent Jacob for convincing me to come along on this journey… had someone else found me first I might not be alive now.

Either way, this knowledge changes everything.

“I cannot go back home, can I?”

Joshua meets my gaze with a sad smile.

“Afraid not, lass. Not now, at least.”

I nod, folding my hands back in my lap. My eyes prick with tears. This is more than I ever bargained for.

“Those papers,” Joshua starts, pointing at where they sit on Jacob’s desk, “they are the key to all of this. If we can just get to the mirror before anyone else does… before someone takes it for their own selfish uses, this all can end. We can find you somewhere safe. Somewhere where no one would think to look for you.”

“Thank you.” I whisper, casting my eyes to the glow of the lantern. There is one last piece though, one last question... though I know it is not my place. I ask anyway.

“Thomas Lowe… who is he? Jacob said that- that he killed him.” I cannot help but to stumble over the phrase. The thought of killing – especially Jacob doing it… it leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. I fear that I may have misjudged him. I thought he was different, kinder. I believed there to perhaps be a good man beneath his anger and cold exterior.I thought that he was not like all those other pirates that I have heard stories about.

“We thought he did. And there is still a part of me that hopes that man was lying.” He trails off, no doubt thinking back to what Jacob did to him. “There is no way for us to know, now.”

“Thomas Lowe killed his wife?”

“He did. A sick, twisted version of revenge.” Joshua says sadly. “It is a long and sad story.”

“I want to know it.”

Joshua opens his mouth, no doubt to decline, but I interrupt him.

“You all took me from my home. Your brother threatened to kill me. There is a target on my back and now you tell me that I cannot ever hope to return home. I am owed the full truth, Joshua.”

His shoulders slump. He senses that I will not back down.

“Before I tell you, you must understand that Jacob cannot know that I told you anything. He barely speaks about it even to me. And I was there when it happened.”

“I promise.” I tell him honestly, meeting his piercing gaze. “I would rather not be on the Captain’s bad side, anyway.” I murmur, clenching my hands nervously. Still, I am angry at myself for misjudging him so harshly. Charismatic and handsome as he may be… he’s a cold blooded killer like all the rest.

Joshua must sense my unease. Perhaps he sees the fear in my eyes as he suddenly sits upwards, eyes looking into mine almost frantically.

“My brother… the man you see today is not him. Not really.”

I raise a brow. I cannot yet bring myself to believe him.

“After everything that happened, he changed. He’s had a difficult life, Y/n. I beg of you to not judge him too harshly.”

“We’ve all had a hard life, Joshua. That’s the way of the universe. We all have dead people.” I argue, crossing my arms over my chest. “He killed a man with his bare hands.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Enlighten me, then.”

:¨·.·¨:☾☆༺ 𓆩⚔︎𓆪 ༻☆☽:¨·.·¨:

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fanfictiongirlie · 3 months ago

Text

Twilight Masterlist:

❥ Smut - ❀ Fluff - ★ One Shot - ✶ Multi-Chaptered - ☹ Angst

Wolves: ˚☽˚｡⋆𓃦 ˚☽˚｡⋆

Paul Lahote:

↟ Some Soulmate ❀✶☹

↟ The Human and the Wolf ❥❀✶☹

Seth Clearwater:

↟ Jacob Black's Daughter ❀✶☹

Embry Call:

↟ Your World ❀★☹

Vampires: 🧛🦇

Demetri (Volturi):

↟ Demetri Fic - Work in progress!

↟

(I do not consent my works to be posted anywhere else, by anyone other than myself)

#twilight #twilight imagine #the twilight saga #paul lahote imagine #paul lahote x reader #twilight x reader #twilight masterlist #paul lahote masterlist

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0skeleton-tears0 · 1 year ago

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Rosyln

[Jacob Black] X [Reader]

One shot

Prompt: Unwilling Imprint, ANGST

Pronouns: I tried to be gender-neutral but I may have messed up a few times.

TW: DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOOD AND GORE. Read at your discretion. A little bit of mommy issues lmao. (laughing through the pain rn)

Notes: I don’t have the best grasp on what phones were like in the 2000’s so it’s probably inaccurate. Jake is fine y'all please don’t call paw patrol. JUSTICE FOR LEAH CLEARWATER. A little bit of simping for her because idc she's gorgeous and I love her.

I realized that the timing for this is a little confusing, so its supposed to take place in like the middle of New Moon but I wrote that Seth and Leah had already shifted, which doesn't happen until eclipse so pls ignore that.

THE FUCKING TITLE HAS BEEN SPELLED WRONG THIS WHOLE TIME ITS ROSYLN NOT ROSLYN

꧂☾✮☽꧁

Jacob Black had made it clear he didn't want me in his life anymore. Those last words I had heard from him burned themselves into my memory, into my very skin.

"It wasn't supposed to be you."

I cringed and tried to sink into the bed further, but the mattress wouldn’t let me in. My eyes traced the shapes in the popcorn ceiling of my room, and I tried desperately to think of anything else. Making shapes out of nothing—and stories to go with it. Yet my mind seemed to somehow circle back. Everything seemed to remind me of him. And the last time I saw him.

The rain pounded against the steps of my front porch, drenching my clothes in muggy water. The deafening sound almost tore me away from the boy in front of me. But he wasn't the boy I knew before. He was taller, bigger, and much meaner. He said nothing for a moment, he just stared at me. I couldn’t read his expression—it was many things all at once. There seemed to be some sort of realization, then confusion, and then hatred. A burning hatred that made me want to shrink away from him. It made my skin crawl. I was suddenly very aware of the way my clothes now hung to my skin, the rainwater adding an extra pound or two.

He shook violently, his breath hitching. His eyes darted around like they were searching for something.

I hadn’t expected him to change so drastically in the two weeks I hadn’t seen him. His long, dark hair was cut short. His formerly lanky figure looked like that of a man twice his age. And his dark skin bore an intricate tattoo located on his right shoulder. It was the same tattoo Sam had. Sam, the man he apparently hated.

"It wasn't supposed to be you."

That was the last thing he said to me, before storming away. Into his truck, and out of my life.

It hurt to think about it, I tried to convince myself that it was somehow my fault. That I had said or done something wrong. Something so vile that it would make him hate me enough to leave. But why would he be so angry with me? I had called him, I called Billy. I even tried calling Charlie. No one would give me a coherent answer. Charlie was the only one willing to give me anything. Saying something about how Jacob and Bella had gotten into a big fight, and she was receiving similar treatment. But to know that he had at least had contact with her while having ignored me completely. It stung. It made my skin crawl, and I felt a burning sense of rage. But it was overshadowed by guilt. Maybe it was my fault—or was it selfish to assume that everything in his life revolved around me?

I felt tempted to call Bella. It seemed like she knew the most about whatever had Jacob acting this way. I bit my lip, weighing my options. Bella and I were never close, I knew that Jacob liked her. Jacob liked her a lot—I bit my lip a little harder at that thought. I hated the way he would swoon whenever she breathed in his direction. How he would trip over his feet trying to please her. And yet he couldn’t take the hint that she didn’t want him. And she refused to let him go. Wrapping him around her finger and leading him on, only to pull back as soon as he got his hopes up. I stared at my phone, I had Bella’s number saved somewhere deep within my contacts. The last time I had actually used it was weeks ago when I tried to be friends with her—she had denied my advances of course. I reached for my phone hesitantly. My heartbeat quickened slightly. Would she even answer me? Was it rude to try and talk to her just so I could ask about Jacob? Especially while they were fighting? My finger hovered above the call button. I pressed it quickly, it was worth a shot.

The phone rang for an uncomfortable amount of time, enough for me to start regretting my decision. But before I could chicken out and hang up, Bella answered. She didn’t sound too great. Her voice was slightly hoarse, and it wobbled a bit. It sounded like she was forcing the words out of her mouth.

“Hello?” She answered. It took me a second to remember what I had called her for, though I should have expected this from her. She was almost in the same situation I was in. Almost.

“Hey Bells,” I used the old nickname we had for her when we were kids. I hoped that the friendliness would maybe help convince her to spill the beans about Jacob. “I don't want to pry into your guys’ business, but what's going on with Jacob?” I tried to sound like I was just mildly curious, forcing the worry out of my tone. But I didn't have time to explain my reason for asking before she cut me off.

“He's just not feeling well.” She spoke fast, too fast for me to understand at first. The words jumbled and rushed, slowly connecting in my mind. Not feeling well? He seemed fine to me.

“Oh,” That couldn't be all that was wrong. “Did he say if he was sick?” I questioned. I wanted to drag this conversation out. I wanted to pry as much information as I could from Bella.

She paused on the other side of the phone—I desperately wanted to know what was going on inside her head, to hear what she was keeping from me. There was no way she didn't know more than what she was leading on. “Uh, he said it was Mono. Yeah, he got pretty bad Mono recently so you probably won't see him for a while.” She spit the words out fast. Stumbling over them like the way she stumbles through life. I knew for certain that he did not have Mono. That was the biggest load of shit I had heard since Jacob told me he “didn't have a crush on Bella”. People got Mono from kissing someone else with it, and I knew that Jacob wouldn’t have kissed anyone but Bella. And she was apparently Mono-free.

“Oh that’s awful, when did he get it?” I asked. I had no idea whether or not she knew about my recent encounter with Jacob. Only her answer would tell.

She panicked for a second. “Um, I think it was three weeks ago. Yeah! Three weeks.” She sounded more sure of herself the second time she said it. Bingo.

Bella had always been a bad liar. She’d stutter over her words more than usual, and she’d start to get antsy the longer the lie went on.

“Huh, well that really sucks. If you get a hold of him could you tell him I hope he feels better soon? I haven't been able to contact him.” I didn't plan on telling Bella about Jacob's midnight appearance. She didn't know, which meant she didn't need to know.

“Yeah, I will.” She sounded eager to hang up, so I put her out of her misery. I tossed my phone back onto the bed. And began to calculate my next move.

Bella had no idea that I had seen Jacob, so she had no idea that I was certain he was not sick at all. Sick in the head maybe, but he seemed physically healthy to me. Jacob stood in the pouring rain with no problem, in a sleeveless shirt might I add. And showed no signs of any kind of sickness. From the sound of it, Bella knew he wasn't sick. It was painfully obvious that she was trying to cover for him. I had to come up with some plan of action. I needed Jacob to talk to me. It wasn’t fair that Bella was allowed to know everything while his “best friend” wasn’t.

I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled from my mouth. This wasn’t going to be easy. I had no idea where he was, and I knew no one was going to tell me. I could beg Billy to tell me what was going on, he could only handle so much of my puppy-dog eyes before he cracked. I could march my way to Sam’s house and demand to know everything. Both plans of action sounded terrible. It felt selfish. I wasn’t really owed anything, it felt wrong to demand that they tell me their secrets. Maybe once I found out I’d wish that I’d left it alone. Stubborn as always, I decided that I was going to find out. You can’t just shut someone out for no reason and then be upset when they want to know why.

I reached for the stale glass of water on my bedside table and knocked back a large gulp. I cringed at the funny taste. My thoughts flew a mile a minute. I came up with a new plan of action. I was going to go to Jacob’s house and wait for him there. He couldn’t stay away from his house forever and I was willing to wait as long as it took. He would talk to me, whether he liked it or not.

I marched to the other side of my bedroom and rifled through my closet. I picked out the first outfit I found, and threw on a jacket. I snatched my keys and marched to my front door. I didn’t care who I had to ask, I would figure this out. There was no way Jacob was getting rid of me so easily. The puddles on the pavement splashed violently as I stomped through them, soaking through the crevices of my shoes and dampening my socks. But I was too preoccupied to care. The car door creaked from the force that I opened it with, I threw myself into the driver's seat and slammed it shut again. I flinched from the loud noise. I need to slow down a bit. I inhaled, closed my eyes, and relaxed my shoulders. I shouldn’t be driving in such a state. I pried my eyes open and started the car, reversing out of the driveway once I heard the roar of the engine.

The long roads that led to the reservation were more familiar to me than the back of my hands. I had driven there so many times, for as long as I could remember. It hurt to think about every other time I had been here. When things weren’t so complicated. When it was Jake and me against the world. Without Bella. I bit the inside of my cheek, focusing on the pain from that instead of the tears threatening to spill. Breaking down crying while driving was not the best idea. I didn’t need to add a hospital visit and a wrecked car on top of all of the other shit going on in my life. I focused on my breathing, and not crashing the car. With every landmark, I knew I was getting closer. It wasn’t long before I was turning down the road that led to Jacob's house. A cozy, barn-esque house. Where I shared some of my most cherished memories. Though the memories were slightly bitter now. I parked the car in his driveway. Billy Black was sitting on the porch, his eyes bored into my very soul, and I fought the urge to avoid them. He huffed and wheeled himself back into the house.

I shoved myself out of the car and marched up to the front door. I pounded on the stable wood, he wouldn’t ignore me too. Billy swung the door open, looking frustrated and concerned.

“He isn’t here [Y/N]. I’ll tell him you stopped by.” He turned to close the door again. It hurt to have Billy turn me away. I had never felt anything other than welcome in his home, but I was treated like a stranger now, he was treating me like a girl scout. I grabbed the door before it could close.

“Then I’ll wait here for him,” I said in the sternest tone I could manage. It killed me to be rude to Billy. But I kept my guard up. I couldn’t show any sign that I would back down.

Billy sighed but made no move to let me in. He glanced behind him into the house, then back at me.

“I hate to do this to you kid, but you really can’t be here right now.” Billy looked me in the eyes again. His tone was stern but comforting. But I couldn’t give up so easily.

“Why not? Why won't anybody tell me what’s going on?” I was more desperate this time, my faḉade dropping. It took everything in me not to start hysterically screaming.

Billy cringed, it hurt him to shut me out. He obviously knew what was going on with his son but something was stopping him from telling me. He looked up at me again, opening his mouth to speak. But his eyes caught something behind me, and he stopped. I turned around. A red truck pulled into the driveway. Jacob sat in the driver’s seat and huffed when he saw me. I looked next to him, of course, Bella was with him. She bit her lip, and blinked way too many times, looking between me and Jacob. He stepped out of the truck and walked to the other side to open Bella’s door for her. He was just pouring salt on the wound at this point. The pair walked toward me, I opened my mouth to yell at Jake, but he walked right past me, Bella in tow. Billy looked disappointed but said nothing. Bella looked back at me with a look that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. It almost looked like sympathy, but there was venom to it. Not quite a glare, but not friendly. I scoffed. Who does this girl think she is?

“Hey!” I shouted. Jacob paused, his shoulders tensed. But he didn’t turn around to look at me. “What is your problem?” I continued, “What am I not good enough for you anymore? Not cool enough to hang out with you and your new friends?” This went much more calmly in my head. A lot less accusingly. Jacob still refused to look at me. But Bella did. She walked toward me and put her hand on my shoulder.

“[Y/N] I really think you should leave.” Bella insisted, but I shoved her hand off of me. I was even more frustrated that she had the audacity to tell me what to do after she tried to lie to me earlier.

“No! I’m not going anywhere ‘till he explains himself! He has no right to just cut me off.” I yelled, more at him than her. But she still flinched, and I felt a little bad. Jacob spun around now, jumping at the chance to protect Bella. He got in my face and pushed Bella behind him.

“Don’t you dare yell at her.” He glared at me. He shoved me back a bit, the force almost sent me flying, but I held my ground.

“I’m not yelling at her, I'm yelling at you, Jacob. Funny how you only speak to me when you want to protect her. And what the hell does “It wasn’t supposed to be you” mean?” I got right back in his face, confronting him about his last encounter with me. His eyes widened slightly, and he glanced back at Bella. She furrowed her brows and looked at him.

“Jake, what are they talking about?” She held onto Jacob’s shoulder and tried to turn him towards her. But he didn’t budge, only turning his head to look at her.

“Don’t worry about it, Bells.” The nickname made me want to barf. Wasn’t she dating that Cullen guy? Oh right. The Cullens had packed up and moved town a few months ago, the whole town had been so worried about Bella since she was so in love with Edward. I had felt bad for her too, her depressive episode was all too familiar to me. Though it seemed she had moved on and sunk her claws into Jacob now. Suddenly I wasn’t too sympathetic toward her.

“He didn’t tell you?” If he wouldn’t, I would. “He showed up at my doorstep in the pouring rain and told me the most cryptic bullshit I’ve ever heard, before disappearing out of my life!” I shouted. It seemed I had called out to some weather god because a light rain began to fall on all of us. But no one made any move to take shelter. At least this was more dramatic now.

Bella looked confused but didn’t press any further. Jacob turned to me again, he looked more frustrated than mad now.

“Look [Y/N], just go away. If I could tell you I would. But you shouldn’t be here right now.” Jacob started to shake, he wasn’t wearing that thick of clothing, so he was probably cold because of the rain. He turned to walk away again, but my hand shot out on its own to grab onto his shoulder. Woah. I was wrong, Jacob wasn’t cold at all. He was hot to the touch. It almost burned.

“Holy shit!” I pulled my hand back, and he turned around frantically, my cry alerting him. “Jacob you’re burning up! I think you need to see a doctor or something.” I looked down at my hand, thankfully it wasn’t burned, only a slight red tint was left behind. Even though I was mad at him, I couldn’t help but worry. As much as I try, I’ll never be able to hate Jacob. I looked up at him, my ‘angry face’ was gone now, a look of worry taking its place. His eyes softened for a moment. His shoulders relaxed, before tensing back up again. His gaze hardened, and he huffed.

“Go.” Was all he said, before turning again. He ushered Bella to follow him, leaving his arm around her shoulder. I stomped forward again and slammed my palm onto his shoulder.

“Hey! I’m not leaving without an answer, Jacob Black. If you think you can get rid of me that easily you are stupidly mistaken.” I let out a sarcastic laugh at the end of my sentence. Nothing was funny about this but I couldn’t help myself. Jacob shook more, and his breathing sped up. He let go of Bella and looked at me.

“I am not going to tell you again [Y/N].” He emphasized each word, “Leave now, for your own good.” For my own good my ass.

“No Jacob, not until you tell me WHY.” I emphasized my words, mimicking his. He shook so hard I was afraid he would combust.

And then he did.

Within a split second, the sounds of clothes tearing filled my ears. And I felt something tear at my arm. I was flung back from the force of it, landing on the muddy ground. White hot pain shot through my entire right side. I felt something warm run down my arm, contrasting with the cold rain surrounding me. But my focus was still caught on what was in front of me. Jacob was gone, replaced with a reddish-brown wolf. It was the size of a horse. Way bigger than any normal wolf should be. My mind felt fried. This couldn’t be real. This had to be some horrible dream or some hallucination. But the pain in my arm told me that this was all too real.

The wolf, presumably still Jacob, snarled and growled for a moment before its eyes caught sight of my arm. I looked down. I could barely see anything past the amount of red. It was my blood. The flesh was torn, ripped almost to shreds. Exposing the pink mussel beneath. I caught a small bit of white. Bone. My breath was rapid. The air entering my lungs burned, it felt like they were trying to rip open. I shook. It took everything not to start screaming. I was in shock. This couldn’t be real.

I looked back up at the Jacob-wolf. His ears flew back, and he shook and backed away slightly. His brown eyes, eyes I knew too well, flickered between my face, and my arm. His tail tucked between his legs, and he ran. With incredible speed, he ran into the forest. My ears rang.

All I could hear was the pounding of the rain and yelling. I heard yelling from all sides. A woman’s voice. And a few different male voices. I heard something thump on the ground across from me. But as my vision blurred, I was unable to make out what it was. Or, who it was. I felt something pull me from the mud. Two large hands grabbed me and held me tight. I was pulled into someone's arms, and I felt us move. The heat was almost unbearable. It was suffocating. I wanted to pull away. To be left on the ground. But I couldn’t pull together the strength to do anything. I felt oblivious to the world around me. Everything was blurry, and moving both too fast, and too slow all at once. I could make out only some of the words I heard around me. Most were panicking. But over all of that, I heard a calm voice yelling orders. I heard more clothes ripping, and two more giant figures ran into the woods. After Jacob.

I heard that same voice from above me, it was calm and reassuring this time.

“Everything is going to be okay [Y/N], we're gonna get you some help” It was distinctly Sam. I knew that tone. It was paternal, it was gentle. But it felt so firm, so firm that I believed every word of it. I let myself relax. Black spots entered my vision, everything was blurry again, and then there was nothing.

꧂☾✮☽꧁

The faint sound of beeping woke me, the shrill noise scraping against my ear canal.

I groaned. My everything hurt. I squeezed my eyes further shut, trying to block out the bright light that threatened to burn my retinas.

My opened my eyes reluctantly as I heard footsteps come through the door. Sam’s large figure came through the doorway. He looked calm, but his brow was slightly furrowed. He opened his mouth to speak, before shutting it again. He looked down for a moment, almost like he was having a conversation I couldn’t hear. Sam inhaled deeply, before stepping towards me. His heavy footsteps resonated through the nearly silent room. The only other sounds were the beeping of the machines next to me. He stepped cautiously towards me, before sitting down in the chair next to my bed. I looked at him anxiously. I knew what was coming, but I didn’t know how. There was no way I could explain what I had seen without sounding insane, “Why yes doctor, my best friend turned into a wolf and mauled my arm. No biggie though.” I bit the inside of my cheek nervously, but Sam gave me a knowing look that calmed me slightly. His look told me he could understand the silent words I was trying to speak.

“How are you feeling?” Sam’s commanding voice vibrated off the walls. I didn’t know how to answer, I assumed he was asking about my arm.

“Fine, the doctors gave me a bunch of meds to make it hurt less so I’m mostly just numb now-”

Sam raised his hand to stop me.

“No, no. How are you feeling.” He emphasized the word. He didn’t mean my arm. It was clear that he wasn’t going to try and cover up what I had seen. I knew there wasn’t much I could say to him. If anyone were to overhear me talking about my friend turning into a giant wolf and scratching my arm, they’d ship me off to the psych ward without a second thought. I bit the inside of my cheek. For a moment, I refused to meet Sam’s gaze. His eyes were intense—they always were.

I tried to think of an answer for him. But I just couldn’t put what I wanted to say into words. He seemed to understand my frustration, and he sighed.

“Look kid, I know that this is going to be hard to understand, but it's time you know the truth.”

I perked up at this. Finally, they were going to tell me what was going on. It only took a traumatizing and unexplainable experience, and my arm getting fucked up to make it happen. Worth it.

We sat there for what felt like hours, as he explained to me the deep, and extensive past of the Quileute tribe's history. How they could turn into wolves, and it was their duty to protect humans from vampires. He also told me about where Bella fit into all of this. The Cullen boy she was dating was part of a family of vampires. And, by proxy, she was now involved with the pack too. But everyone in the pack was sworn to secrecy. And that's why they couldn't tell me. Sam being the alpha made his word law. So they had no choice.

I felt guilt bubbling inside my chest, I was so mad at Jacob and the others for not telling me. But they couldn't whether they liked it or not. It felt like someone was grabbing at my heart and squeezing it. I felt so selfish, so arrogant. I demanded that they tell me everything, and then got myself hurt. I felt so bad.

Sam gave me a sympathetic look, it was as if he understood without me having to speak a word.

“It’s not your fault. Besides, we would have had to tell you anyway.” I looked up at that. But he paused.

“Why?” I asked. It was hard to find the words I wanted to say. I felt like I had so many questions, but forming them together in a coherent manner was impossible. These drugs were fucking with my head. I noticed that the lights were a bit fuzzy now.

Sam looked away and contemplated for a moment. But when he looked back, it was obvious he wasn't going to explain himself. Why does everyone have to be so cryptic all the time?

“I think Jacob should tell you himself,” Sam spoke with finality. There was no wiggle room to try and pry anything out of him.

I sighed. But I didn't try to push any further. I was exhausted. Taking in so much information was hard, especially while I was barely awake. Sam smiled at me and stood. He towered over my bed, making the giant machines look like children's toys. This explains why the Quileute men are all so big.

“I'd better let you rest kid, just come to the reservation whenever you're ready.” He smiled and made his way out.

I sunk back into the firm hospital bed. I ran through everything in my head again. Vampires? Werewolves? What other ghouls should I be worried about? Will I run into a troll the next time I cross a bridge?

I couldn’t pull together the energy to really care at the moment, the only thing I cared about was going back to sleep. I glanced down at my bandaged arm, moving it slightly, and wincing. I sighed, and relaxed my whole body. I tried my best to ignore the beeping, and clamped my eyes shut. I shifted slightly, and felt a jolt go through my entire right side. I grumbled and settled back down, being more weary of my arm this time. I rolled my eyes, this was going to be a long recovery.

꧂☾✮☽꧁

It took a week before they let me out of the hospital. But the stitches in my arm would take way longer to come out. And I wouldn't even be fully healed for a few months.

They gave me fresh clothes since mine were basically ruined. I had to wear a shirt that was way too big for me, and shorts that went down to my calves. My socks were a bright yellow, and the worst texture I’ve ever felt, with grips on the bottoms. This sucked. Stupid Jacob. Stupid wolves. Stupid me.

My mother helped me to the car, but I nudged her away slightly. My arm was hurt not my legs, I could still walk on my own. I half-expected her to try and carry me to the car.

I wasn't allowed to drive while my arm healed, obviously. But at least I got time off of school, and off work. At least one good thing could come out of this mess.

But having so much time on my hands gave me too much time to think. And of course, my mind went to every bad scenario that could happen. �� I didn’t know how I was going to be able to face Bella. She had seen everything. But I couldn’t really find it within myself to hate her any less. Hate feels like a strong word, but I can’t think of any other word to describe the way I feel about her. It felt like she had ripped my best friend away from me, and left a gaping, burning hole behind. But was it entirely her fault? He chose to leave me, for her. But at the same time, she didn’t make any move to stop him. I sighed. Obsessing over it wouldn’t change anything. My mom glanced at me from the driver's seat. I could see her reflection through the window, as I stared at the beautiful scenery. The rain cast a thick fog across the forest, giving a gray tint to the world around it. My mom's eyes scanned my face, before quickly bouncing back to the road.

“What’s wrong honey?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. So many things were wrong. Jake was gone, my arm is fucked, and I’m way behind on my homework. What was I supposed to tell her?

I sighed, “I just… I just miss Jake.” That felt right. It was the truth, but not in its entirety.

She grimaced, “I know sweetie, but… when people get older, they tend to drift apart. Maybe it’s just time to let Jacob go. Maybe make some new friends?” She always got over things quicker than I did.

“No. He’s my best friend. I can’t lose him.” But what would I do if I did? It was entirely possible now. He had his new wolf friends and… Bella. A shiver of anger rushed through me at the thought of her.

“I know it’s hard but-”

“No! I-” I cleared my throat. I didn’t mean to yell at her. “No, I- I won’t lose him.”

She didn’t respond, she continued to stare at the road ahead. The large pine trees cast a thick canopy above us, rainwater pouring through the gaps in the branches. I sighed and tried to relax. All this stress was bad for my health. I didn’t need to have a full breakdown and end up back in the hospital.

The pine trees gave way to a small path on the side of the road. I caught a glimpse of brown fur vanishing into the foliage. I gasped lightly, which alerted my mother.

“What’s wrong? Did you hurt your arm? You’ve got to be careful with those stitches in! And how did you even-” I cut her off before she could start ranting.

“No, no everything’s fine I just thought I saw something in the forest. Like a bear or something.”

Smooth [Y/N].

She looked hesitant, I couldn’t tell if she believed me, but I prayed she wouldn’t push me. I guess lady luck finally decided to cut me a break because my mom sighed and focused on the road again. I wanted to yell for her to stop the car. I wanted to jump out and chase after him. I didn’t care if I was injured, or if I could get lost in the forest. I wanted nothing more than to just at least talk to him. But after… the incident… would he even want to see me? I held back a sob.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I shoved myself out of the car. I needed to be alone for a bit. My mom waited a bit to get out, trailing behind me a few steps. I stood on the porch, waiting for her to unlock the door.

Memories flashed at me in waves. Pieces from my childhood, when Jacob and I would play in the grass, or draw in the driveway with our chalk. When Jacob would pull in with that loud ass truck after school to complain about all the homework he had. And when he struck the final nail into the coffin that was now our relationship. I cringed. Everything would remind me of him now. Ghosts of my past would haunt the hallway. Phantoms of what I had lost. My mother didn’t bother to hide her concern. I’m sure I looked like a mess right now. My hair was unkempt, my eyes dark and sunken in, and my skin drained of its warmth. I felt like a shell of my former self. A ghost walking amongst the living, trying to blend in. I sniffled and shook it off. I didn’t need to scream my anguish to the world. As far as they were concerned, everything was fine and dandy. I let myself in as soon as the door opened, and made a bee-line for my bedroom. I ignored the memories, and my mother when I was asked what I wanted for dinner. I let my legs give out and fell onto my bed. Just inches away from crushing my arm. I sighed, and ran my good hand over my face, trying to wipe the stress away.

I had no idea how long I lay there. Staring at the ceiling, without even bothering to make shapes in it this time. My phone rang, and my computer pinged. But I made no move to check either. Nothing went through my mind. It felt like time was moving at breakneck speed, and I was stuck. Unmoving. I was catatonic. I felt myself going through my nightly routine, showering, brushing my teeth, and taming my hair. But none of it registered. Like an automated machine. I was on autopilot. When I lay back down, I hoped to just pass out immediately. I should be exhausted. And I should be happy to be able to sleep in something other than a hospital bed. But I felt nothing. Something was missing and I knew it.

But minute after minute of laying there, I felt myself start to drift off. Maybe when I woke up, everything would have fixed itself.

꧂☾✮☽꧁

I was running. Branches and bushes whipped around me, scratching at my arms and face. They caught onto my clothes as if they were trying to slow me down. But my feet carried me through the thick forest. I heard howling, and the sound of something running. But they didn’t stop me. I had to keep going. But what was I running towards? I didn’t stop to think, I kept moving. But I was quickly halted, as a huge, black wolf appeared from the trees in front of me. I stopped as fast as possible, losing my footing and sending myself onto the hard ground. I scrambled back to my feet quickly, without taking my eyes off the wolf. It was as big as Jacob was when he turned into a wolf. More wolves emerged from the forest surrounding me. I could see now that I was in a small clearing, only a few feet big. I turned around, ready to make a run for it. But as I did, I came face to face with a brown wolf. This one was closer than the others. And its eyes bore into mine, nothing was threatening about this wolf. It took a tentative step towards me, and I stepped back. It bowed its head and continued to approach me. But before I could move, its head snapped back up. It growled and snarled. The wolf took a step back. It wasn’t looking at me anymore, but something behind me. I didn’t have time to look before the wolf pounced. Jumping high above me. I screamed and ducked. And then, I was in my room.

I sat up in my bed, panting and sweating. My heart was beating so fast, I feared it would fly out of my mouth. I tried to slow my breathing, I wasn’t in the forest anymore. I was home. I was safe. It was a dream. A really weird dream. I fell back into my bed.

It was clear to me now that the brown wolf in my dream was Jacob. The reddish-brown fur, and the deep brown eyes I had known my whole life. But what did it mean? What was behind me? Why did he attack? Maybe it was just a weird dream, maybe it had no meaning. I assumed that the first wolf was Sam, it seemed a tad bit bigger than the others, and it just felt like it commanded authority. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I rolled over to my bedside table and grabbed at my phone, eventually, my hand made contact, and I turned it towards my face. I recoiled from the intensity of the phone's light, my eyes having been adjusted to the dark. I squinted, 2:45 a.m. Great. It’s not like I was going to school in the morning, not while I was healing. So I could just go back to sleep. But what if I had another weird dream? I could only handle so much weirdness at a time.

The door to my room slammed open, and I flinched at the sudden sound. My mother stood in the doorway, still clad in her nightclothes. She looked frantic, and her eyes studied me.

“What happened?! I heard you scream!” My mother yelled, breathless. I guess when I screamed in my nightmare, I must have actually screamed. That was kind of embarrassing.

“Oh sorry. I had a nightmare.” I looked at my hands, they were shaking still. My mother sighed a breath of relief, but when she looked back at me, she was concerned.

“Honey, what’s wrong? You still won't tell me why you were in the hospital, and now you’re having night terrors? Why can’t you just tell me?” Her voice started to waver, I knew I was hurting her by not telling her.

It pained her to see me like this, but since she didn’t even know what was wrong, she was unable to help me. I felt so bad. But I knew I couldn’t tell her, Sam had sworn me to secrecy, and I wouldn’t betray his trust. Or the pack.

I didn’t really know the boys too well, of course, I knew Embry and Quil, as they were Jacob's other best friends—I didn’t know if I was even considered his best friend anymore, it felt weird to call myself that. After… everything. So of course I knew them well enough. But after the whole shift, and then Bella's situation. We grew apart.

I blinked, snapping myself back to the present. I think I just made mom more concerned.

“It was a dog. I saw some stray dog and I was gonna give it some food, but it attacked me.” I lied, I had to make it up on the spot. She didn’t look convinced, but I’m sure I looked rough enough for her to leave it be. She sighed, and gently grabbed the door handle, contrasting to how she had slammed it just a few minutes before. She glanced at me, before shaking her head and leaving. I sighed, relaxing my shoulders and flopping onto my bed. I thought back to the pack. So many of them were so young, too young to be fighting vampires. I thought back to Embry and Quil. Quil still hadn’t shifted, but Sam told me that they knew he would soon. I thought about how much Embry had changed. I didn’t even really talk to him anymore, but any time I saw him he just seemed different. I glanced at my phone. I probably still had his number somewhere. Maybe I should call? I still had plenty more questions about the pack. Why did they cut their hair off? Why did they go through a growth spurt that drastic? Why was Jacob so mean now? I held my phone in my hand and hovered over the call button.

“Hello?” Embry’s distinct voice echoed through the silent room. I almost forgot what I was going to say, he was still so different, but he sounded the same as he did before shifting. Into a werewolf. The word felt wrong. Like it wasn’t the right way to describe them.

“Uh hey, Embry. I’m sorry did I wake you up?” I tried not to stutter over my words. I had completely forgotten what time it was. I felt bad for waking him.

“Oh hey [Y/N], no it’s fine I wasn’t asleep yet.” Embry’s voice picked up in volume. The tired tone from his voice had vanished, leaving the excited boy I was familiar with.

“I uh, just wanted to ask you a few questions.” It wasn’t like that’s the only reason I called, but it must have sounded like it. Because Embry sounded upset like he audibly deflated.

“Oh, yeah. Of course, uh go ahead.” His enthusiasm from before was lost.

“No! No! I wanted to talk to you too, I didn’t just call for that. It’s just that since I know about you guys now, I can really talk to you again.” I reassured him.

I could hear him perk up at that. “Oh! Of course! Well uh, what’d you wanna know?”

We talked for a long time, and he told me a lot more about the Quiluete boys. How their hair translated to how long their fur was, which seemed stupid to me. That their bodies had to rapidly grow to accommodate their new wolf abilities. But when I got to my third question, Embry stopped. He didn’t answer when I called his name. But in a few seconds, he shook out of it.

“Oh uh, well, Jake’s been going through a lot more hormones than the rest of us, and he… He uhm…” He stuttered over his words, it was painfully obvious that there was something he wanted to tell me. But something was stopping him. I’m getting pretty sick of people being all cryptic and keeping shit from me. “He’s just, well… I don’t think I should be the one to tell you.” I was quickly reminded of my conversation with Sam in the hospital.

“So who should I ask?” I was getting frustrated at this point, but I didn’t let it show through my tone. After all, it wasn’t Embry that I was upset with.

“I think you know the answer to that [Y/N].” Embry finished. Before I could say anything in retaliation, he said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone. I glared at my phone as it flashed CALL ENDED across the screen. I resisted the urge to chuck my phone across the room in anger. Breaking your phone is counter-productive [Y/N]. I went back to my contacts, gazing at one familiar number. I shouldn’t call him so late.

Waiting overnight and thinking about what to say is probably the smart decision. But I didn't doubt that he would ignore my call anyways. At this point he probably had me blocked. I didn’t know if I should be mad at him for that or not. I was calling excessively, and that was bound to get annoying at some point. I thought about going back to his house, and waiting there for him to show up. But that didn’t go too well last time. But if I was calmer this time? My thoughts trailed off. I thought about every scenario possible. I thought about every possible way he could try and dodge my advances, and I thought of ways to make sure that he couldn’t run away from me. I don’t know when I managed to fall back asleep, but sooner than I thought I had drifted away. I was ready to face my problems. Tomorrow.

꧂☾✮☽꧁

“Come on, get your lazy butt up.” My mother barged into my room, ripping the blanket off of me and shaking my shoulders. I winced from the cold air hitting my newly exposed skin and tried to pry it away from her. “Wake up, you have a visitor.” That woke me up. My thoughts raced, was it Jake? Embry? Bella…

I heard a voice from the other room, “It’s okay Ms. (L/N), I could just come back later.”

Bella.

I sighed, slumping back down into my bed. I let my entire body go limp, hoping that I could somehow mold into the mattress and avoid all of my problems. But unfortunately, reality came like a harsh slap to the face.

“No, it’s fine hun! I’ll have them up in just a minute!” My mother called back, making a promise that I really didn’t want to keep.

I groaned into the pillow. My mother grabbed my shoulders again and started to pull. After a couple of seconds of pulling and tugging, I gave up and sat up fully.

“There you go. Now get dressed, we’ll be waiting in the living room.” My mother chirped and flitted to the doorway. “And fix your hair. You look like a mess.” She threw out one last comment on my appearance, shutting the door before I could respond. I sighed, did she expect me to wake up with perfect hair?

I shook off the last of my blankets and forced myself out of bed. I stumbled a bit, letting my legs get used to the feeling of walking again. I dragged myself around my room, grabbing whatever clothes I could find. To be honest, I was tempted to go out in my pajamas, was Bella really worth the trouble of getting dressed? I contemplated it for a minute, but I knew my mother would chew me out as soon as I stepped out of the door. I got dressed sloppily, not caring if I looked presentable or not. I ran my fingers through my hair, taming it as much as I could. I tied it back, hiding most of the mess. I didn’t bother with shoes.

I carefully opened the door, trying to refrain from making too much noise. I slowly shut the door and made my way down the hall on light feet. I rounded the corner into the living room, my mother's back was turned, but I had a clear view of Bella. She didn’t look too much better than me, but it was clear she had at least tried to hide it. Her hair was tied back, but the chunks that framed her face had escaped. Her eyes were dark, with deep bags hanging underneath. Her clothes were too big for her, hanging off of her small frame. I felt big just standing next to her. I felt like if I walked by her too fast she’d crumble. Her emotional state didn’t seem much better either. A small frown permanently occupied her light pink lips. Her eyebrows perpetually furrowed. I almost felt sorry for her.

It only took a moment for her to notice my presence, she looked up and gave a half-assed smile. I formed my lips into a tight line, I could be civil. But she was on my turf. It’s free range here. I smiled a little more at that thought. I made my way to the couch where my mother was sitting and plopped myself next to her.

She pushed me away slightly, “You’re sitting too close.” She murmured.

I made a show of scooting to the other end of the couch, exaggerating my movements as much as possible. She scoffed and looked back to Bella. Her expression brightened drastically as she looked at the girl across from us. Way to make it subtle Mom.

“So what brings you here Bella?” My mother chirped, she took a sip from her mug without breaking eye contact. Bella squirmed under my mother's intense gaze, fidgeting with her fingers and the hem of her jacket.

“Oh uh, I hope it’s not too much trouble but I’d really like to talk to [Y/N] alone.” She stuttered. She avoided eye contact with me entirely. I hoped that I was intimidating her.

My mother deflated as if she was hoping that Bella was here for her. No doubt I would get a lecture later, ‘You should be more like Bella! She’s so much better than you in every way blah blah blah’ etcetera etcetera. I rolled my eyes and shifted around.

My mother straightened again and smiled at Bella. “Oh of course honey! Why don’t you two go to [Y/N]’s room?” I snapped my head toward her, my room? It felt wrong to let Bella in there. As if she was trespassing into my domain like she was tainting my sacred grounds. I huffed, and my mother shot me a deadly glare. I winced and lowered my gaze. I held back a sigh as I pushed myself off the couch, gesturing for Bella to follow me. As soon as my back was turned, I grimaced. She shuffled behind me, watching her every step. Like she was afraid she’s break something if she stepped on the wrong floorboard. I rolled my eyes, knowing damn well I was the same way.

I shoved my door open and waved my arm in front of me in a ‘ladies first’ motion. She gave an awkward smile and walked in. When she was far enough into the room I walked in after her, shutting the door behind me. Every inch of my body was screaming. Screeching for me to shove her out, to get her out of my room. My brain itched and scratched, I wanted nothing more than to scream at her to leave. I smiled, at her and gestured toward the unmade bed.

“You can sit down.” I tried not to sound upset about it. Her sitting on my bed.

She glanced at the bed and hesitated. But she didn’t sit down. She continued to stand in the middle of the room. She bit her lip and blinked too many times.

“Oh, it won't take that long.” She started, “I just… wanted to talk to you about what-” she paused, “What happened.” I knew exactly what she was talking about. And I grimaced, taking a look at my arm. I chewed the inside of my mouth, debating my response.

“Oh yeah… That.” Wow. Absolutely amazing. 10/10 conversational skills [Y/N].

It was silent. Neither of us dared to say anything. Bella opened her mouth for a moment, presumably to say something, but she closed it just as quickly. I shuffled my feet, taking notice of the fact that I wasn’t wearing any socks. Kind of weird to have my feet out right now.

“It’s fine.” I blurted. “My arm I mean, it’s healing all right.” I clarified.

“That’s good. It was uh, pretty bad…” She trailed off, grimacing as she remembered that night. I thought about it too.

I felt tingles run down my arm as my skin remembered the feeling. The feeling of being torn open, the warm blood coating my skin and clothes. Lying on the wet ground with my former friend in front of me. My stomach lurched, and I resisted the urge to double over and empty my guts on Bella’s shoes. I shook my head, shaking the thought away.

“Yeah. But I’m getting better so.” I gave an awkward confirmation, was this all she came for? She could have just called or something.

“Um, [Y/N]... I dont mean to pry but…” Oh god, here we go.

“How are things with you and Jacob.” She asked shyly, shuffling her feet and picking at her fingernails.

I knew this question was coming. I guess it was only fair she wanted to know, but something in my gut told me that it wasn’t just innocent curiosity. I sighed, thinking about my answer for a moment.

“We haven’t spoken since then.” Putting it bluntly seemed like the best idea. I didn’t know if there was a way to sugarcoat it, but I didn’t bother to try anyways. Bella tried and failed, to hide her excitement. I guessed that was the answer she was hoping for. She tried her best to hide the way her back straightened, and her eyes lit up. But as always, Bella was a shit liar.

I gave an awkward smile.

“It’s fine though, I think it’s best to just give him some time before I reach out again.” I ignored the shiver that ran down my spine. I tried to ignore the way that she deflated a little. Maybe she was hoping that I would never speak to him again. She smiled and took one last look at me. Before she politely excused herself. Hopefully to leave my house altogether. As soon as the door was closed, I breathed a sigh of relief. And let myself fall back onto my bed, being careful not to land on my arm this time. I stared at the ceiling. I find myself in this position a lot huh? Whatever. Going back to sleep sounded really good.

꧂☾✮☽꧁

I was only aware of the events that took place in the next few days secondhand. And surprisingly, I made a new friend.

As usual, the sky was covered in a thick layer of clouds, creating a blanket over the trees. And the air was moist with the promise of rain. I walked briskly, I was completely out of snacks and that would just not fly. What was I supposed to eat? Real food? Absolutely not.

The posters covering the walls of my favorite convenience store brought a smile to my face. The door opened with a loud ding, alerting my presence to the man behind the counter. A sweet old man smiled at me through bushy eyebrows. His big handlebar mustache moved up with his smile.

“Hey, Mr. Barker!” I chirped, making a beeline for the snack aisle. As expected, it was recently stocked, and colorful plastic littered the shelves, drawing me in. What I wasn’t expecting, was Leah Clearwater standing in the middle of the small space. Right in front of my favorite chips. I paused, not wanting to alert her. I didn’t feel like getting on her bad side and getting my head bitten off today. But, as if she could sense me, her head turned quickly. Her beautiful dark hair was cut short, as were her sleeves and shorts. Her russet skin bore the same tattoo Jacob had. I had heard of her shifting recently, and of her father's death. I tried not to let the wave of pity I felt show on my face. I avoided her cold gaze and pretended to check out the other snacks. I would have to wait until she’d moved.

After a few seconds, a hand made its way into my view, holding my favorite kind of chips. I followed the arm upwards until I found the face of the owner. Leah held her hand out, without making eye contact.

“Here, you like these right?” Her voice was assertive like she wasn’t asking me. She was telling me.

I’m sure I looked really confused because my silence made her turn to look at me.

“Pack mind-reading. Jacob doesn’t keep much to himself.” She explained. I grimaced.

I was trying not to think about him. She must have noticed because her lips turned up just slightly.

“He still hasn’t told you huh?” She teased, but I could hear underlying sarcasm in her tone. She sounded upset about it.

“Oh god,” I rolled my eyes, “Not you too.” I groaned.

It took me a second to realize what I had said. And I slapped my hands over my mouth. I snatched the chips out of her hand and started to speed walk out of the aisle. But, to my surprise, Leah laughed. Not like the sarcastic one before, this one sounded genuine. It was a quiet, small laugh.

“I know what you mean kid,” I’m pretty sure I’m older than her. “I felt that way before I joined the pack.” She opened her mouth to say more but stopped herself. She peeked her head around the aisle to look at the old man behind the counter, and the various other shoppers. Mr. Barker was blissfully unaware of us, too occupied with his game of solitaire. She turned back to me and grinned for a split second, it threw me off for a second.

“Do you wanna talk about this at my house?” She gestured behind her with her thumb. Her face was unreadable again.

Oh.

OH.

I felt my heartbeat speed up, just a little. A pretty girl just invited me to her house. What do I do?! I felt my brain moving at lightning speed, trying to come up with a response that didn’t make me sound like a total dork. I prayed that I wasn’t sweating.

“Uh, sure!” I beamed. Nailed it.

She gave a small—noticeably strained— smile, I was sure that she saw through me without any trouble. But to be fair, she’s very intimidating. I mean, she could tear me in half like wet paper—the same went for all of the pack to be honest— and she’d look pretty doing it. I cleared my throat and tucked the chips under my arm. Being careful not to crush them. We went to pay for our stuff quickly, I’m sure the old man could sense my internal panic because he sent me the most heartwarming smile. Stupid old man and his silly mustache. I smiled back of course, before hurrying to meet Leah at the door.

She opened the door, stepping out into the cool air. The rain must have started when I went inside, it wasn’t pouring thankfully. I watched as Leah stepped out into the cold rain with no trouble as if it didn’t even phase her.

I suppressed a gasp as I watched, the water was evaporating as soon as it touched her skin, coming off as mist.

Incredible.

I guess I hadn’t paid much attention to how warm all the members of the pack were. Thinking back on it, I’m pretty sure Jacob did the same thing in the rain. The water had evaporated from his skin as soon as it had touched him. I hadn’t processed it then, with my mind being so preoccupied, I thought I was just seeing things.

I pried my eyes away from Leah. It was rude to stare. But as soon as I did, she laughed quietly to herself, before leading the way to her house. I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought.

The walk to her house was quiet, with nothing but the rain and the sound of cars filling the air. It was hard for me to tell if the silence was awkward or not. I couldn’t see her expression, as she was a few paces in front of me. Damn, she walked fast. She didn’t say anything for the duration of the walk, but thankfully it was short. We made our way up to the front door, she unlocked it quickly. It took a harsh shove for the door to open, it creaked loudly in protest. Leah groaned and held the door open for me. Waving her arm as a gesture for me to go in.

I was getting a lot of deja-vu from when Bella came over. I’m pretty sure I did the same thing. And just like Bella, I sheepishly made my way into the home. Taking in as much as I could, I watched my every step. Leah walked past me, and I followed her instinctively.

She led me to the living room, I repressed a sigh of relief. I didn’t know if I was ready to go into her room. That felt a little too personal. She gestured for me to take a spot on the couch next to her. I carefully sat down, feeling the couch creak a bit. She sighed, before turning to make eye contact with me. I resisted the urge to shy away from her intense gaze.

“So, Jake still hasn’t told you huh?” Leah started, “I guess it makes sense since he’s still got that obsession with the leech-lover.” Her tone was malicious, she didn’t try to hide her disdain for Jacob, and whoever the “leech-lover” was.

“Leech-lover?” I questioned, why would someone like leeches?

She paused and looked back at me. A sense of realization crossed her features, and she grinned.

“Bella, the vampire girl.” She explained. I nodded my head, humming in affirmation. I had almost forgotten about the fact that vampires existed too. And that Bella used to date one.

Wait. Vampires. Does that? Mean what I think?

“Wait, the Cullens were vampires. Did they… eat people?” My voice wavered at the thought, were they responsible for the unexplainable deaths in the area? How many people of Forks had they eaten?

Leah noticed my concern and shook her head.

“No, the Cullens were… vegetarians. They ate animals instead.” She said that like she didn’t believe it, as if it were blasphemy.

“Oh. Okay, that’s a relief.” I sighed, “So there aren’t vampires running ramped through the streets anymore?” I giggled. Leah’s eyes darted away from mine. Oh god.

“Well, not the streets.” She sounded very reluctant to say that. I felt the color drain from my face, my eyes widened, and my breath hitched. There were still vampires? That wasn't the Cullens. They weren’t vegetarian. Leah saw my face and quickly retracted her statement. “No! No! It’s just one and we’ve got her under control.”

“Under control? So what you’ve got her like locked in your basement or something?” I barked out a strained laugh, trying to deflect my anxiety with humor.

“No,” she laughed, before fixing her face to look stoic again. “We’ve managed to chase her off the border, but we can’t figure out what she wants.” So she wasn’t just trying to kill everyone in sight? Good. Great. Cool.

She inhaled and shook her head lightly, “But that’s not what I brought you here for.” She started.

I perked up at this. Finally, I’d get some damn answers. I was confident that Leah wouldn’t be as cryptic as the others. Her blunt nature gave me a sense of security. I knew she would tell me the truth.

“So, did Sam,” she paused at his name, but I didn’t question it. She cleared her throat and continued. “Did Sam ever tell you about imprinting?” She asked.

“Imprinting? Like that thing ducks do to their moms?” What did that have to do with me? The last time I checked they weren’t ducks.

“Sort of. But it’s kind of different in our case. So, well- I… ugh” She stuttered over her words for a moment, “How do I explain this?” She sat there for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Before she inhaled and started again.

“When we imprint, it’s like, the whole world stops. As soon as you set your eyes on your imprint, the world stops rotating for anyone else. They are the only thing that matters, you would do anything, be anything for them. It’s a kind of devotion like no other. And there’s no escaping it.”

She didn’t sound too happy about it, now and then her eyes would narrow. I really wanted to see what was going on in her head.

I was starting to connect the dots in my head, so did this mean Jacob imprinted? On who.

Bella. Of course. Obviously, it was Bella.

I barked a laugh, “Of course.” Leah looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue.

“Jacob imprinted on Bella!” I could faintly hear her groan, but I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to care. “He imprinted on Bella, but he’s mad she doesn’t like him back so he ended up taking it out on me! Ugh, it all makes sense now.” The way Bella clearly didn’t want me around Jacob, the way he’d always protect her, the fact that he wouldn’t stop pining over her even though she didn’t want him. Of course, it was so blatantly obvious to me now.

Leah sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose disappointedly. I was taken aback, was that not what happened? I glanced out the window, it was getting late. I sighed and picked up my stuff. I got up to leave but Leah stopped me.

“Hey wait, that’s not what happened.” She started, then who was it?

“Jacob didn’t imprint on Bella, he imprinted on-” She was cut off by a loud BANG.

We both whipped our heads to the door, where a young Seth Clearwater stood panting. He barged in frantically and started to shake Leah.

“Leah! We gotta go one of the Cullens is back and Bella’s gonna go to Italy and get them back and Jakes freaking out and, Oh hi [Y/N],” He stopped for a second to acknowledge my presence, but I was still trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about.

He opened his mouth to continue, but Leah held up a hand and got up from the couch.

“[Y/N], you go home. I’ll catch up with you later.” She ordered, I didn’t have time to say anything before she and Seth hurried out the back door. I jumped from the couch and watched as they ran into the forest, I could see clothes tearing, and fur sprouting. I marveled at the two new wolves, watching them in awe as they darted into the trees.

I grabbed my stuff and hurried out the front door. The rain wasn’t quite pouring, but it would be a pain to walk in. I hurried down the street, trying to avoid the puddles. They splashed violently against my shins, dampening my pants. I cursed but continued.

It took me a long longer than I liked to make it back to my house. I was regretting not just taking my car, but walking was good for me and I needed to save gas. Courtesy of my mother. I stomped to the front door, my wet shoes making small puddles on the porch. I fumbled with my keys, and hurriedly unlocked the door. The house was dark and noticeably empty. Mom’s car was gone, and all the lights were off.

I flicked on a few lights as I made my way inside, but as I set my keys down my eyes caught something.

A brown leather jacket was hanging on the coat rack, it was way too big to be my mom's. And I knew it wasn’t mine. My heart raced, my eyes widened, and my mouth fell agape. Someone was in my house.

I scanned the area around me before my eyes landed on the hallway closet.

Bat! We had a bat in there just in case, and mom called me paranoid. I opened the door as quietly as I could, grabbing the bat quickly. My cold hands wrapped around the hardwood tightly. My knuckles turned white with the death grip I had on the poor stick. I slowly made my way through the house, turning corners quickly, with the bat raised to swing.

I felt a presence behind me, I was sure whoever it was could hear my heart pounding, and my breath hitching. I felt a large hand touch my shoulder gently.

I whipped around and swung the bat with all my strength. It made a sound CRACK as it met its target.

“Hey! What was that for?” I recognized that voice. I knew that voice so well, it was the voice I was praying to hear for weeks.

“Jacob?!” My hands fumbled for the light switch, I squinted as I turned it on. But I was able to see the boy in front of me now. Lo and behold, Jacob stood in front of me, like a giant brick wall. But he didn’t look like Jacob. His eyes were darker, heavy bags hanging beneath them. His skin was de-saturated, giving him a sickly look. His hair was messy, and his clothes were raggedy. I stepped back a bit.

“Jake, what are you doing here? How did you get in my house?! Why were you just waiting with the lights off?!” This didn’t make any sense, he avoided me for weeks, and then shows up in my house all creepy? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand this boy. I untensed my shoulders, and sighed.

He looked away for a moment, he looked embarrassed. “You weren’t here, and I heard Leah say you were at her house so I thought I’d wait here for you. I didn’t think you’d let me in soaking wet.” Of course, Jacob knew where the spare key was. So he wouldn’t have had any trouble getting in without committing a crime. I sighed and looked him in the eyes.

The air was tense, we both just stood there for an uncomfortable amount of time. Neither of us knew what to say.

“I heard what you and Leah were talking about.” Jacob blurted. It caught me off guard before I remembered about their whole wolf telepathy. I huffed. I had so many things I wanted to say, but putting them into words was impossible. I thought of everything at once, before just meshing them all into one.

“Why?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have been so vague, but Jacob looked at me with a guilty expression. It was clear he understood, he knew exactly what I was asking without me even having to say it. I tried not to let it show, but I was trying not to cry. I thought of everything that happened the past few weeks, it felt like it had been years since I saw Jacob. Really saw him.

Within a month I had lost my best friend, fucked up my arm, had my perception of reality shattered, and now my long lost best friend broke into my house. And I still don’t know who he imprinted on.

I sighed and shook my head. “Why did you cut me off, Jacob? What did I do? Was it something I said? Or did I make you upset? Whatever I did I’m sorry-” I started to ramble, I couldn’t even look at him as I choked the words out of my mouth. I had told myself I was ready for this confrontation, but just thinking about it made my eyes swell with tears. I tried not to let my breath hitch.

Jacob looked guilty again, grimacing and looking down. When he looked back at me, he sighed. He held my face gently and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“[Y/N] I’m sorry please dont cry.” It was clear he didn’t know how to comfort me, but he was trying his best. I pushed his hands away harshly and wiped my face with my sleeves.

“I’m not crying, you’re crying.” I hid my face in my hands, trying to calm myself down. I heard him huff and take a step back. When I was ready, I made eye contact again. I didn’t care if I looked like a trainwreck. My hair was frizzy and messy from the rain, my eyes were now puffy from the tears, and I could only assume the bags under my eyes were prominent.

“Well? Are you going to answer?” I demanded, I don’t think it was wrong of me to want some damn answers.

He grimaced, and looked away. His eyebrows furrowed, scrunching together in thought. I watched the way his eyes darted around for a second, I analyzed his every move to try and figure out what would come next. I was waiting for the bad news, for some terrible fate to come crashing down on me. I was waiting for him to look me in the eye and tell me he hated me.

His gaze hardened, and his eyebrows scrunched up. The way they moved seemed harsher this time, more hostile.

“I had no other choice. I won't get you wrapped up in this.” His voice was firm, unwavering. His eyes were dark, completely unreadable. I felt them burn into my skin even as I looked away.

“It’s a little late for that Jake.” I mumbled. His huffed, and I saw his jaw tense. His upper lip curled up slightly, in a menacing snarl.

It was frightening.

I told myself I wasn’t going to be afraid of him. He didn’t hurt me on purpose, I just happened to be standing too close.

But as the boy in front of me shook again, I shook too. My heart pounded against my ribs, I pulled air into my lungs violently. My lungs burned from the force of my breaths. My eyes widened, and I took a tentative step back. I tried my best to hold a tough exterior. But it was obvious how easily Jacob saw through me.

He stopped, and blinked. His cold exterior fell for a second, showing the warm, sweet boy I knew before.

But as soon as it was dropped, he caught himself. I blinked and it was back, sending a shiver down my spine. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a few seconds.

He let out a long exhale, and opened his eyes again. His calm and cool mask was back, no doubt hiding the anger I knew he was feeling.

But he deserved to be upset, after all that transpired. I failed to see where I could have possibly been wrong. What I could have possibly done to piss him off this much.

“I came to say goodbye.” He spoke, his voice didn’t waver for a second. His eyes didn’t move from mine, his unrelenting gaze intimidated me.

“What? Wait why are you leaving?” I asked, I didn’t try to hide my emotions this time. I was baffled, he’s leaving again?

“I just… have to. I’m sorry but this is the way it has to be.” My fat fucking ass it is.

“No it’s not, Jacob stop trying to run away from your problems!” I shouted, “What did I do to you? Why are you doing this to me?” I was frantic now, raising my voice at him.

“Goodbye.” He gave a curt nod, and turned around, making his way to the front door. I tried to grab at his shoulder to stop him but it was no use. He pushed forward, completely unaffected by my feeble attempts to hold him back.

He didn’t so much as glance at me as he opened the door, it gave a loud creek in response to being ripped open so suddenly.

I watched as he walked down the front steps of my porch, into the pouring rain.

I was vividly reminded of the first time he did this to me.

The first time Jacob had ripped my heart out of my chest, crushing it beneath his big stupid feet.

I stood in silence.

Not this time. I wouldn’t chase after him this time.

#jacob black #the twilight saga #angst no comfort #jacob black x reader #bisexual panic #mommy issues #jake is being an ass #originally posted on ao3

64 notes · View notes

whorxology · 11 months ago

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⛧☾༺♰Masterlists♰༻☽⛧

This is a masterlist of all my fandom masterlist

If a character you want is not here please request them!!!

Read rules before requesting!!!

in progress

KEY * = Smut (R) = Requested Bold and Italicized means characters I enjoy writing for and will probably bump on my priority list if requested

Supernatural Masterlist

Dean Winchester

Castiel

PJO Masterlist

Arcane Masterlist

Teen Wolf Masterlist

Stiles Stilinski

Derek Hale

Isaac Lahey

Theo Raeken

Liam Dunbar

The 100 Masterlist

Bellamy Blake

John Murphy

Marvel Masterlist

Bucky Barnes

Steve Rogers

Loki

Steven Grant

Frank Castle

Miguel O'Hara

Hunger Games Masterlist

Finnick Odair

Peeta Malark

Coriolanus Snow

Sejanus Plinth

Harry Potter Masterlist

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Ron Weasley

Harry Potter

Draco Malfoy

Blaise Zabini

Mattheo Riddle

Lorenzo Berkshire

Theodore Nott

Theseus Scamander

Mauraders Masterlist

James Potter

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

Outerbanks Masterlist

Rafe Cameron

JJ Maybank

Pope Heyward

Maze Runner Masterlist

Thomas

Gally

Twilight Masterlist

Embry Call

Jacob Black

Paul Lahote

Emmett Cullen

Other Characters Masterlist

Eddie Munson

Billy The Kid

Jordan Li

Spencer Reid

Druig (Eternals)

Jake Sully

Poe Dameron

Jack Mercer

Ethan Landry

Tobis Eaton

Jacaerys Velaryon

Last Update: 02/24/24 7:44 PM

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wallflowergirl2006 · 10 months ago

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Wiltedflowers(Creepypasta OC)

TW: Heavy Gore, Decapitation, and Flowers..

Characters and Ages: (For clarification)

Juliet Anderson: 18 (Senior in High School)

Eleanor Anderson: 22 (Collage Student)

(Juliet’s POV)

It was a warm autumn night.. My friends and I used to come to this forest a lot. It was named Wildgrove Woods. It was a very peaceful forest. Until some rando came into the forest one night and in the morning he was found dead in a ditch. At first people thought it was a wild animal that got him but the bite marks on the man were not human and there were flowers coming out of his mouth and eye sockets. I overheard the police talking to the man's wife and apparently the flowers that were on the man’s body were his wife's favorite flowers. I thought nothing of it at first but after hearing that. It made my skin crawl. The forest was closed off and the police put warning signs but that obviously didn’t stop reckless and foolish teenagers because a week later a group of teenagers were found dead in the forest and they all had flowers growing out of them.

Some from partners and some from family members but the attacks on these teenagers were so disturbing. From what I’ve heard some were mangled, some had dislocated bones, and one of them was decapitated. Everyone was advised to stay away from the forest. My older sister Eleanor had stayed over for a week before heading back to college. I was always sad when she had to leave but my parents and I said our goodbye. Everything was fine until my mother got a call in the morning. She started crying half way through the call. When she hung up she looked heartbroken and dazed. My father tried to comfort her but she was inconsolable. My father told me to wait in the living room for him. I frowned but obeyed and went to the living room. I could hear the wailing of distress from the room that my parents were in. Minutes passed and my father finally came out and sat down next to me. My father had a look of sorrow on his face.

My father informed me that my sister was no longer with us. I was flabbergasted and confused. I asked my father what had happened. He told me that Eleanor had gotten into a car crash. Apparently a drunk driver had crashed into her but the scary part was that the police didn’t find my sister’s body. I asked my dad where my sister’s car was located. He told me that it was a few miles away from the forest. I thought about checking out the forest but my father saw right through me and turned that idea down. I was slightly upset about this but I decided not to push it. I went to my room and called my friend Jacob. I told him what happened and that I would be going to the forest. I told him not to tell anyone and that if anything happened to me. I told him to say that he tried to stop but I was too stubborn. Jacob tried to talk me out of it but I made up my mind already. I ended the call and grabbed an empty backpack and filled it with weapons and supplies.

♰˚☽˚｡⋆Timeskip ♰˚☽˚｡⋆

I stood at the entrance of the woods and I took a deep breath and headed inside. I was walking around the place and it was mostly quiet. It was more of an eerie quiet than a peaceful quiet. I roamed the place for a while but I didn’t find any traces of my sister. I started to think that was a waste of time but I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched. I continued looking around until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped in fright and turned around to see a policewoman. She told me her name was Officer Rebecca and asked me what I was doing here and if I knew this was a dangerous place. I told her the truth and she looked at me like I was crazy but she then had a look of sympathy. She told me that if anything popped up about my sister she let me know. I sighed sadly feeling disappointed but just as we were about to leave there was a low growling noise. Officer Rebecca and I turned around to see a tall lanky black entity that had sharp nails, flowers on its body both fresh and wilted and green goo dripping down its mouth. The flowers were scattered all over its torso, eyes and waist; it also had pointed ears and a long thick tail.

Officer Rebecca and I were staring at the entity for a good minute until it spoke in a raspy and demonic voice. “Ah, I knew there were humans in my forest..” It spoke. “What are you?” Officer Rebecca questioned the creature as she pulled out her gun. “Ah, quick to pull out your weapons? You must know that I am a threat, correct.” The entity said as it crossed its arms over its chest. “I’m am Azru..” “I roam this forest looking for prey to feast upon and once I am done with said prey I leave flowers of their loved ones as a sign.” Azru paused.. “I haven’t come up with what the sign would mean yet.. It’s a work in progress.” Officer Rebecca then glared at Azru. “So you’ve been the thing that's been killing everyone that comes into this forest.” “Yes, I have but I have a deal to offer.” Azru said as it smiled at us. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. “What’s your deal..?” I asked Azru cautiously. “I want you in exchange for your sister.” Azru said in a sinister tone.

“There’s no way that’s happening!” Officer Rebecca shouted at Azru. “The decision is not up to you, it is up to the child.” Azru growled at Officer Rebecca. “How do I know you're not tricking me.” I questioned Azru. “You don’t.. Sometimes life throws difficult choices sweetpea.” Azru said in a taunting voice. I scowled at them. “Alright, I’ll come with you.” I told Azru. Officer Rebecca frowned at my choice. “Kiddo, you don’t have to do that. We can’t lose another person.” Officer Rebecca tried to reason with me. “I understand your concern, Officer but this is my choice.” I said to her, “Tell my parents that I love them.” I said as I walked over to Azru. Azru smiled and pulled me close to themself. A weird pollen started coming from Azru and I felt my eyes start to close and the world went dark.

(Nobody’s POV)

Azru picked up Juliet and smiled wickedly at Officer Rebecca. “Well, I’ll keep up my end of the bargain. Azru started to gag and then something came out of his mouth. It was a corpse. Eleanor’s corpse.. Eleanor’s body was horrid to look at flowers were covering her eyes, her arms looked like they had been ripped off and flowers were growing out of where her arms would be, her hair looked disheveled, and black goo was dripping out of her eye sockets and her mouth. Officer Rebecca looked horrified at the state of Eleanor’s body. “This wasn’t part of the deal!” Officer Rebecca shouted at Azru. “I never stated what condition the girl would be in..” Azru said with a malicious tone. Azru then started running at a very fast pace. Officer Rebecca tried to keep up with him but he was too fast. “Come back here!” She shouted at Azru. Hearing her call him only made him go fast. Officer Rebecca started to get tired and couldn’t keep up with Azru.

Azru made sure that nobody was following him and made sure to cover up his tracks. Azru ran at inhumane speed until he reached his cabin. He opened the door and headed inside. He walked over to a couch and laid Juliet down on it making sure that she was comfortable. He walked over to the door and locked it making sure that Juliet couldn’t escape through the front door. He then started locking all the entrances and windows making sure she couldn’t escape from him once he made sure everything was secured and locked. He went over to Juliet and rested his head on her thighs.

(Juliet’s POV)

As I regained consciousness I woke up in a cabin? I looked and observed my surroundings; it looked like everything was locked so I had no chance of escaping. I felt a weight on my thighs. I looked down and saw Azru sleeping on my thighs. This freaked me out so much. Why was this entity sleeping on me? Why did he bring me here? Why was any of this happening? My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Azru start to stir in his sleep. I panicked as he started to wake up. My mind was racing with different scenarios of what would happen to me. “Juliet, you're awake.. I thought I’d never see you again.” Azru said in a terrified voice. Something told me that this wasn’t Azru. “Who are you? You’re not Azru..” I questioned the voice. “It’s me Eleanor!” The voice told me as it got off of me. I noticed that the flowers were replaced with different ones. Arzu had purple balloon flowers, pink snapdragon flowers, and blue irises but now the flowers were different. The flowers were my sister’s favorite flowers. Which were pink azaleas, yellow marigolds, and red carnations. “Really?” “Okay, so what’s one of our childhood memories?” I interrogated the voice. “Back when we were really little we used to make these magic potions with flowers, bark, grass and hose water. When you were in 10th grade, you told me that someone told you were related to Juliet Capulet from Shakespeare so you asked me to deal with her and you have a dragon with sunflowers tattoo just above your ass.” The voice told me. “Okay, but how do you know about the tattoo?” I asked her. “You were wearing a bikini that time we went to the beach with our friends.” Eleanor said in disbelief.

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. “So, how are you here? I thought you were dead?” I asked with confusion. “This entity consumes souls to sustain itself but it take can’t any soul specifically. The soul needs to have the right amount of darkness and light for him to sustain himself.” Eleanor explained to me. “Okay, so I’m assuming you did some good and bad things.” I asked her. “Yeah, I might have sent that girl to the hospital.” Eleanor sheepishly admitted to me. “What the hell?! That’s why she avoided me?!” I said in shock. Eleanor nodded sheepishly. “Please don’t leave me.. I was so scared when he took me.” Eleanor pleaded to me. She sounded terrified. “I miss you, I miss mom and dad, I miss my friends, I miss my boyfriend Adam.” Eleanor said as she started to tremble while tears started to run down her face. I felt bad for Eleanor. It must suck being stuck with a dark entity and possibly having to watch him kill and eat people. “I’m sorry, I’ve just been so lonely and Azru.. He’s just very creepy and a bit weird.” Eleanor apologized to me. “No, don’t apologize.. I’m not going to leave. I can see you're very frightened by all of this.” I told her as I walked over and took one of Azru’s clawed hands and held it with mine. “I missed you as well. I’m just glad you’re kinda okay.” I smiled at Eleanor. “Thank you.. I’ll make sure Azru won’t harm you.” Eleanor promised me. I nodded at her. “Can we just sit down and talk now?” Eleanor asked me. “Of course” I smiled at her once more. Eleanor smiled back. We walked over to the couch and that’s when I realized this is a really bittersweet conclusion.

⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧

(If you want to use anything from this story just send in a ask or message me) [Don't Claim or Repost this as yours >:C ]

#creepypasta #creepypasta oc #Creepy pasta #original character #originalcharacter #fandom #creepypasta fandom #oc #ocs #my ocs #wiltedflowers

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proshipp-rp-finder · 1 year ago

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🕊️☽。･:*:･ admin is twenty-two, turning twenty-three next week, assigned f at birth/identity as such, time zone is cst, roleplay will happen on discord, and no pronoun preference.

i’m looking for exclusively, but not indefinitely, fandom canon x canon roleplays (if you ask me for canon x original character or original character x original character, i can entertain that if the persuasion hits me where it's good) (18+ though). here are some ships below (italics are the characters i want to play, though keep in mind some ships may contain 🍪 and or incest:

HALLOWEEN FRANCHISE

michael myers/jamie lloyd

michael myers/allyson nelson

allyson nelson/corry cunningham

SCREAM FRANCHISE

tara carpenter/chad meeks-martin

tara carpenter/sam carpenter

tara carpenter/ethan landry

THE TWILIGHT SAGA

renesmee cullen/jacob black

aro volturi/renesmee cullen

bella swan/aro volturi

STRANGER THINGS

max mayfield/steve harrington or billy hargrove

eleven/billy hargrove

steve harrington/robin buckley

miscellaneous fandoms

SUPERGIRL (CW)

kara danvers/lena luthor

alex danvers/kara danvers

ORPHAN

esther coleman/john coleman

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

leatherface/original oc

RESIDENT EVIL (GAMES ONLY)

chris redfield/claire redfield

jill valentine/anyone

leon s kennedy/ashley graham

sherry birkins/anyone

THE LAST OF US (GAMES ONLY)

ellie williams/joel miller

abby anderson/owen moore

joel miller/abby anderson

i am not looking for novel-type replies, but i am looking for someone who tries. quality over quantity, i always say. communication is critical, so talk to me. i’m not going to bug/rush you about replies, and i ask for that in return. if by any chance someone is reading this and what i said piqued your interest, then like the post, and i will get back to you as soon as i can.

☆

#comship roleplay #comship rp #comshipping #dead dove #dead dove do not eat #dead dove fic #dead dove roleplay #dead dove rp #proship roleplay #proship rp

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lunarluvbot · 1 year ago

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fandom/character list

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[ * means platonic only]

miss peregrines home for peculiar children

millard, jacob, enoch, hugh, emma, miss peregrine*

the chronicles of narnia

edmund, peter, caspian, lucy, susan

bill, stan, eddie, richie*, bev, mike, ben, georgie*

outer banks

jj, pope, john b, sarah

mauraders era

remus, sirius, james

the black phone

finney, robin, vance, billy, bruce, griffin*, gwen*

marvel

tony*, steve*, bruce*, bucky*, natasha*, thor*, loki*, yelena*, mcu!peter, tasm!peter

the hunger games

katniss, peeta, johanna, finnick

stranger things

steve, nancy, robin

percy jackson

percy, annabeth, jason, leo, frank, reyna, will, nico*, sadie, carter, magnus, hearth

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

#important 𓆩♡𓆪

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the-wintershade · 2 years ago

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sleep companions

pairing: jacob lee x reader summary: black irons is a hard place to break free from; its roughness seeps into everything. But sleep helps brush off the hard edges and allow for a tenderness found in napping. wc: 1.5k+ genre: COMFORT, soft!Jacob, a lot of fluff, napping, caring for each other!! a/n: i too am a sleepy one; hopefully, this piece brings you wonderful dreams.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

“Jacob!” His name rushes past your lips as he stumbles into you. Exhaustion steals his energy. His steps drag against the ground and his breaths are slowing.

Your arm reaches to curl around his side, pulling his armored body into your own. You try to compensate for his lack of coordination as best as you can, walking slower and leaning into him so he can prop himself against your body.

He grunts as you weave his arm around your shoulders. “Sorry,” he huffs, voice right near the shell of your ear, “I just can’t get my feet to act right.”

The last few battles between those weird mutated creatures must have worn him out. Jacob took more hits to the stomach and torso than usual in your last skirmish. You had done your best to give him as much covering fire as possible, but eventually, you were tackled to the ground and forced to concentrate on saving your own life.

You haven’t seen many of those creatures in the last hour or so. Maybe it was about time to give yourselves a break before moving on to the surface.

“Let’s rest for a bit,” you adjust your grip on his torso. There are a couple of crates in front of you. He could rest there while you count your ammo, medical supplies, and other trinkets you’d picked up along the way. “Give you a chance to sleep for a bit.”

Jacob hesitates before continuing, your momentum dragging him along. “No. I’ll be fine. We should keep going.”

“You’re not. Besides, you’re not in any condition to fight should those things come back.” You lead him over to the crates and help lower him to the ground so he can rest his back against one. “We’ll be safe here, for now. I’ll keep look-out. Go over inventory.”

You slip Jacob’s arm, originally on your shoulders, over your head. Before you can drop it into his lap, his hand curls around your arm. “Really. We should keep going.” His eyes are wide and pleading, but the corners around them droop and his gaze is slightly unfocused.

There’s no way you should keep going. The longer you take in his features, the more relaxed his body becomes. According to your calculations, he’ll be asleep in a few seconds.

“Sleep, Jacob.” You place your hand over his hand and squeeze it. Gently, you pry it off and carefully place it in his lap before moving up to check his health status. It’s green but teeters on yellow. He’ll need a med pack before you move to fight again.

You feel his gaze as you inspect his armor. “Hey.” His call is gentle and you meet his eyes with a softness you haven’t been able to muster in a while. Between the fights and general fear for your life, there hasn’t been much room for tenderness.

Jacob takes a deep breath, letting his eyes linger closed for a moment before he opens them, looking considerably closer to dosing off. A small grin crawls onto your face. He scoffs at your new expression but a light lingers behind his eyes. “You hear anything and I mean anything,” he leans over to nudge your shoulder, “wake me up.”

You chuckle before tapping him on the shoulder. “The world will still be here. I promise.”

“Whatever,” he grins before closing his eyes. As he relaxes, his body learns toward where you’ve perched on the crate next to him, as if instinctively wanting to be closer to you.

A small, shy smile spreads across your face as you start to count your magazines for the second time.

…

You jolt awake, frantically brushing off clawing hands and faces with sharp teeth. They felt like they were all over you, but now that you’re looking around, you realize you are inside the lab.

Jacob said he wanted to go over some upgrades. You only remember sitting down before blinking awake, arms swinging and flailing.

The weapon machine’s whines mix with your cries of fear. As much as it grounds you, the noises combine in an overwhelming combination of sounds and you clench your eyes shut, trying to fight through the lingering screeches of the creatures in your ear.

Jacob’s voice cuts through it all, concerned and gentle. “Hey, hey, hey. You’re alright.” You hear him getting closer, now sitting next to you, body angled toward you, his hands automatically reaching for yours. “You’ve only been asleep for a little bit. Figured you needed the rest.”

You take a deep breath and slowly open your eyes, focusing on the ground first and then on his gently determined gaze. It made your stomach warm. It made being vulnerable easier. “I saw those…things. It was like they were all over me.”

He squeezes your hands. “I get what you mean. I see them too.”

You nod, both saddened that this horror-filled place still follows you into your dreams and comforted by Jacob’s presence and admission. At least if you both have to witness deadly beings, you don’t have to do it alone.

You try to blink away the sleepiness, but it doesn’t work. You can still feel sleep’s pull.

Jacob picks up on the way your body slouches over and your responding grip on his hands weakens. “Come here,” he mumbles, wrapping his arm around your waist and drawing you into his chest.

Your heart picks up before a sense of comfort douses any rising anxiety. His head curls into yours. His lips ghost over the crown of your hair. “I’ll be right here. Go back to sleep.”

It takes no time for your eyelids to droop closed as you relax into his torso. It’s the first time you can remember Jacob being so physically affectionate with you but you’re not complaining. You like it, being close to him like this.

Before you sleep, you register a dorky smile on your face and a feeling of gratitude that you have each other.

You don’t have any more dreams of creatures.

…

You’re on the tram, traveling between the colony and the inner lab. Wind rushes past as you sit with your back against a stack of boxes. They buffer the wind while your blinks start to slow into sleep.

Absentmindedly, you register the cut along your cheek but you don’t think much off it. Your body is too tired to worry about wounds right now.

Jacob’s hands against your shoulders and cheeks slowly close your eyes as you absorb his tenderness. His thumb ghosts along your cheek as he tilts your head.

“You look alright. We’ll see what they have back at the lab to cover that.” Jacob sounds focused but you know he’s as drained as you are. Another stint with the creatures always does this. The only difference is this was the longest battle you’ve had yet, and there was one much larger than the rest this time.

It took almost everything you both had to beat them all.

Your eyes flutter open before you muster a weak smirk. “You look as tired as I feel,” you mumble, reaching up to grasp his arm before tugging him over near you.

He crawls so he’s next to you, resting his shoulder against yours. A painful grunt echoes off the box as he tries to get into place. You keep ahold of his arm, sliding your hand down to interlace yours with his.

Your squeeze is answered by him. A relaxed breath slips through his nose as his grip carefully tightens.

“We should rest for a little while.” You whisper, already starting to lean your head toward his. To your pleasant surprise, your head brushes against his less than halfway. He must have been leaning toward you already.

You feel him rest his cheek against your head, bringing your joined hands closer to him. “Yeah, good idea.”

“Jacob?” He adjusts his head so his cheek brushes tenderly against your head.

He hums, “Yeah, (name)?”

“Thanks. For everything.”

“Yeah — yeah, of course. And thank you. You know, when we get out of here, let’s make sure we sleep on some actual mattresses.”

You chuckle and his giggles blend with yours. “Sure. But we have to sleep near each other. Just to make sure we hold up our side of the bargain.”

“Of course. I mean, that’s only fair. Have to make sure everything’s been honored.”

You blush and shake your head, leaning into him further. You knew just as well as he did that the chances of you getting out were slim, but you also knew that you would not sleep nearly as well if he wasn’t there with you, right near you. Somehow, you think that Jacob thought about the same.

…

After a few years of being separated, fighting your way around other planets and new people, your paths meet again. For a minute, it’s awkward and you both stumble over words, but soon, it’s like you both were never separated.

And you get that nap. Together. Except, instead of separate beds, you both lay near each other, facing each other’s chest.

Jacob reaches out first, an arm tentatively wrapped around your waist before drawing you gently closer until your hands are curled against his chest. He presses his cheek into your head as before and you press your nose into his collarbone.

You sigh and feel his smile as he does the same.

Finally.

#the callisto protocol #jacob lee #jacob lee fic #callisto protocol fic #jacob lee x reader #jacob fic #jacob lee fluff #jacob lee headcanon #jacob lee drabble #game is kind of slept on tbh #like it was fun #had a few bugs and things but overall pretty enjoyable #loved jacob honestly #can you tell?

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femme-witching · 2 years ago

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An Introduction to Witchcraft History

What is Witchcraft?

Witchcraft is traditionally defined as the “exercise or invocation of alleged supernatural powers to control people or events, practices typically involving sorcery or magic.

Modernly defined by global practices of magic, western 14th-18th century beliefs, and Wicca

Derived from the old English word ‘wiccecraeft’

Different cultures did not share a coherent pattern of belief in witchcraft

Blended concepts of magic, sorcery, religion, folklore, theology, technology, and diabolism

Witches were commonly believed to work at night

Sorcery

Sorcery historically predates witchcraft as a concept, and is defined simply as ‘attempts to influence the world through occult.’

Prior to the 1300s, western perceptions of sorcery and magic were in alignment

Early western witches used incantations, divination, amulets, potions, and dolls/ figurines to perform magic

Magic aiming to gain or preserve health, gain property, to help others, for revenge, and for protection from natural disasters of harmful spirits

Magical reliance on deities or spirits influenced future belief of witches working with demons or Satan

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Early Recordings

The earliest recording of witchcraft was found in the 1 Samuel passage of the Bible (931-721 BCE).

King Saul sought the Witch of Endor to summon the spirit of Samuel, the dead prophet, who would help defeat the Philistine army

Samuel prophosized the death of Saul and his sons, who died in battle by suicide

Old Testament- Exodus 22:18 translated from the Torah

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live”

passages against divination, chanting, or contact with the dead

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

European Witch History

Witchcraft was perceived in the west as cannibalism, orgiastic rites with the devil/ Satan, and performance of black magic. Despite being written off as devil worshippers, many early European witches were just hurbalists and healers.

European Witch Craze

Malleus Maleficarum was a book that spurred European hysteria surrounding witches, written in Germany in 1486. “Malleus Maleficarum” translates to “The Hammer of Witches”, and was written by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. It acted as a guide to identifying, hunting, and interrogating witches, and greatly influenced European witch hunts and paranoia.

Accused witches gave forced confessions after being tortured

Accused witches were executed by burning or hanging

Witch hunters targeted widows, single women, and societal outcasts

Between 1500 and 1660 CE, 80,000 accused witches were executed

Witches were associated with lust and the devil

The “Malleus Maleficarum” also greatly influenced King James VI of Scotland, who was one of Europe’s most noutorious witch hunters. In 1589 James went to Denmark to meet his new bride, Princess Anne. On their return to Scotland, a raging storm damaged several of James’ ships, casuing one of them to be lost at sea. A woman in Denmark confessed to using magic to cause the storm, and she was executed alongside several others accused of witchcraft by Anne. This spurred the prosecution and deaths of 3,000 accused witches in Scotland.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

American Witch History

This section discusses European-based perception of witchcraft, and is not related to indigenous cultural practices.

The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials were a time of mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The trials occurred due to Puritain religious paranoia and witches were used as a scapegoat for smallpox and conflict with Naumkeag Native Americans. The trials began through this series of events:

9 year-old Elizabeth Parris and 11 year-old Abigail Williams had fits of bodily contortion and uncontrolled screaming

Symptoms spread to more young women, and hysteria spread

Sarah Good, Sarah Osborn, and Tituba- a slave of the Parris family- were accused of witchcraft

Tituba confessed to cursing the girls and accused others of black magic

Bridget Bishop was the first person executed for being a witch in Salem on June 10, 1692 by hanging

Though modern research suggests the bodily contortion and screaming was likely caused by fungal poisoning, the hysteria was attributed to witchcraft and black magic. Over the course of the Salem Witch Trials, 150 people were accused and 18 were executed.

Connecticut Witch Craze

Alse Young was the first American executed for witchcraft, killed in Windsor, Connecticut in 1647. In Connecticut, 46 people were accused of performing witchcraft and 11 were executed for it prior to 1697.

Virginia Witch Craze

In Virginia, 24 witch trials occurred from 1626-1730. In Lower Norfolk County, Virgina, a law was passed against false witchcraft accusations in 1655. The most famous accused witch from Virginia was Grace Sherwood, who was said to have slaughtered pigs and hexed cotton. Sherwood was brought to trial in 1706, and tested as a witch using the ‘sink or float’ method. Sherwood was convicted as a witch and imprisoned for 8 years.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Thank you for reading!!

#witchcraft #witchblr #witch #history #witch history #magick #witch trials

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the-revenging-angel · 3 years ago

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Jacob Black ~Chapter 3~

Hello everyone! It's been a long time, like a really long time, I know, I know, I'm sorry but I didn't know if anyone actually liked my stories- Anyway, chapter three of the one and only Jacob Black, I might actually start posting the other stories of my Twilight delights, I have a few.

I dedicate chapter 3 to @famousdestinydefendor, I'll try and update soon of possible.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I place the drinks down, smiling at the girls sitting at the table "have a good night" I smile, they nod before I walk back to the bar "look who came to pick you up" I look to see Kiki, her blonde hair in a ponytail as her golden hoops swing. I turn to see Jacob walk into the bar, looking over the place before seeing me, his lips lift as mine does as I lean against the bar "what are you doing here?" I ask, when he's close enough, he rests his arms on the bar, looking at me.

place the drinks down, smiling at the girls sitting at the table "have a good night" I smile, they nod before I walk back to the bar "look who came to pick you up" I look to see Kiki, her blonde hair in a ponytail as her golden hoops swing. I turn to see Jacob walk into the bar, looking over the place before seeing me, his lips lift as mine does as I lean against the bar "what are you doing here?" I ask, when he's close enough, he rests his arms on the bar, looking at me.

"I came to pick you up, figured we could have a movie night?" I smile, looking into his eyes "sounds great" he smiles, his white teeth on the show as I take my apron off, hanging inside the hallway as Kiki comes over to me. "Ask. Him. Out" I raise a brow, looking at her "pardon?" She rolls her eyes, placing her hands on her hips "Jacob has been staying with you for months, you walk to his work, he picks you up, he buys you flowers, you make him dinner, you live together Kathy, you're practically together" my eyes widen.

"Kiki-" I start "don't you dare say nothing is going on, he hasn't even thought about drinking since being with you, besides a beer with dinner every now and then, something is going on between you" I stare into her eyes "I... Don't know" she raises a brow as I slump on the wall beside me. "I don't know maybe, it's so confusing sometimes, I mean he's attractive and so nice and sweet, he buys me flowers and is interested in my life and I think he might feel the same but I don't want to seem manipulative, I helped him Kiki, what if he doesn't like me but feels like he has to?" Her eyes soften as she walks forward and wipes my cheek.

"He feels the same, trust me, your everything in his eyes, stop being scared and just... Go for it, take your shot" I look up at her, biting my lip. "Ready to go?" We both turn to see Jacob at the door frame, his eyes looking directly at me as he smiles softly "come on, your mine for the night" I chuckle at his words as Kiki pushes me along, pointing at him "take care of her or ill come for you" he takes my hand, nodding at her as he wraps an arm around me and we leave the bar.

"So what movie do you think we'll watch?" I question with a warm smile, he looks down at me "I want us to do something first" my eyebrows furrow "what?" I ask, a playful smile gracing my lips as he looks down at me, biting his lip "you'll see" he walks us to my car as I hop in the passengers as he starts the car, starting to drive down the road as I raise a brow at him, he looks at me for a moment before turning back to the road, his huge warm hand enveloping my small one as he places it on my thigh.

I reach my hand over to his hair and lightly drag my nails across his scalp having his shoulders tense up before relaxing "God, that feels nice" I laugh quietly as I smile at him "where are we going?" He looks at me again before back at the road "you'll see" I raise a brow but don't question it as he drives us further out of the city "planning to murder me?" I question, he chuckles shaking his head "no, I just wanna show you something" I roll my eyes "okay murderer" he smiles, pinching my thigh having me yelp as I slap his hand.

My eyes take in the vast trees around us, the headlights showing larger shadows as I raise a brow looking at him, his idea now making him nervous. "Okay, are you actually a murderer?" He smiles, shaking his head as he puts his hands in his pocket, looking down as I walk towards him.

"I fell in love with a girl" my heart dropped "that was why I was in your bar that night, I fell in love with her and she was with this guy who did all these horrible things and was a monster and she couldn't see it.... But I still loved her and in the end...she chose him" I grab his hand, his warmth seeping into my skin like a drug as I lean against him, his arms coming around me as he holds me close.

"I was...heartbroken, angry and I just wanted- needed to get away, I left and then I grab any and every way to forget and it still was never enough and it still hurts and I was close to giving up, that maybe there is no love for Jacob Black but then this adorable little thing walks over to me, trying to get my attention as she asks if I'm okay" my heartbeat accelerates at his words, his nose moving past the nape of my neck.

"Little did she know, that when seeing her I felt more okay than I had in my entire life" I turn to look at him with a smile, his eyes half-closed as he looks down at me. "Meeting you Kathy had to have been the best thing in my entire life with you just being you" my eyes widen as he looks down at my lips. Looking into my eyes, I nod as I move closer having him relax as his lips meet mine, his hands tightened around me as if begging me not to leave, as if I ever could.

I turn around to wrap my hands around his neck, hands moving to his hair as I pull at the smaller strands, a grunt escaping his lips as his hands fall down my hips further, hands groping by ass having me smile as I lean on my tiptoes to reach more.

"Kathy" he growled lowly, my eyes widening at the sound as he pushes me back, following with me as I almost trip before he lifts me up, my eyes closing as I feel a heat course through me at the contact. Warm hands gripping my thighs as my back hits something but I barely pay attention as embrace him further. "Kathy" he continues to breath my name between pants, kisses and soft grunts as he slowly moves his hips against me having my grip tighten as his hands move to my ass.

• ───━━━━─ ● ─━━━━─── •

My cheeks blaze as we drive back, after being caught by a few teenagers, I had pulled Jacob back to the car after wishing them a good night as Jacob has practically glared at them as we left. I had tried starting a conversation but had gone quiet everytime I tried, my skin feeling sticky around my neck as I touched my collar bone only to feel a dull ache which had Jacob grin as he looked at me before back on the road.

"I meant it, Kathy, I'm happy with you and I love being with you" I bite my lip as I reach for his hand, slowly as I grab it. Warmth filling me at the contact as he pulled my hand to his lips, placing a kiss on my knuckle as he played it on my lap.

My cheeks heating "I didn't think you we're lying, I think I'd believe anything if you told me" I say quietly, he smiles as we reach the city.

"I wanted to tell you something else tonight, but I'll tell you when we're more okay with 'us'" I look back to his face as I interlock our fingers. "I like us, sounds-" "perfect" I smile as we share a look "yeah, sounds pretty perfect" he smiles as I lean my head against his shoulder, driving through the city.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Have a lovely day everyone!!!!

#soulmates #twilight #vampires #jacob black imagine #jacobblack #jacob black #love #jacob black x reader #love you always

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alwaysonthemend · 1 year ago

Text

Part II: To Strange Horizons

Word Count: 3715

Warnings: Cussing / allusions to violence

A/N: Hello all! Just a heads up that this chapter is just a little bit shorter than the last one but that's just because it's setting up a lot of stuff that's going to be happening in chapter 3. Hope ya'll enjoy!

:¨·.·¨:☾☆༺ 𓆩⚔︎𓆪 ༻☆☽:¨·.·¨:

The ship is a beautiful thing – far better taken care of than any of the ships that I had seen grace the ports of Easthallow before. It's not an overly large ship, though it is most definitely large enough to be a threat to most merchant ships that sail these waters. It’s painted black and decorated with white embellishments, with “Starcatcher” emblazoned proudly on its side. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and my steps slow to a stop as we approach. Though night has descended upon us, the full moon casts just enough light for me to stand in awe of the magnificent ship.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Jacob asks, looking at me with a proud glint in his eye.

Slinging my pack higher on my shoulder, I nod.

“I’ve never seen a ship like it before.”

“Aye, I reckon not many come through here with such a ship. She’s a galleon.” He says glancing over his shoulder and beckoning for me to follow him.

Tearing my eyes away from the ship, I hasten my steps to catch up with him.

“She can reach up to eight knots. That’s almost 140 miles a day.”

He speaks with pride, and despite having never been acutely interested in ships, I want him to tell me more. His voice is so different as he speaks of the Starcatcher, and I wish desperately that this kinder tone would never leave him. Gone is the brooding sadness and barely contained rage, replaced instead with a fondness and pride that makes him seem so much softer than he had before.

“She's gorgeous.” I tell him, and his lips turn upwards in a barely there smile. It’s the most genuine expression I think I have received from him yet. I want more than anything to see what his real smile looks like.

“Why did you name her Starcatcher?”

No sooner had the question left my mouth, the expression dropped from his face. Like watching a mask slip into place, his face contorts into a scowl.

“I was not the one who named her.” Is all he says before turning on his heel and marching into the ship.

His shifts in mood threaten to give me whiplash as I silently follow behind him, cursing myself for asking.

–

All eyes turn to us as soon as we step onto the deck. I pull my pack tighter to myself, wishing to shrink away from their peering eyes. Some 25 men make up his crew in total, and not a single one of them carries an expression that is in any way welcoming. Some look on in confusion while some cannot seem to contain their scowl as they regard me. Each man looks to be no older than 30, though they all carry a weight to their shoulders that makes them seem older somehow.

“What the fuck, Jacob?” The curly headed man from before exclaims, rising from where he’d been leaning against the foremast and I gasp at his use of profanity. Never have I heard a man say such crude language before.

The other men mutter amongst themselves, casting looks towards myself and Jacob.

“Sit down, Joshua.” Jacob orders, and Joshua’s eyes blaze at the command. He takes a step back, but does not sit. “You, Samuel, and Daniel stay. The rest of you,” Jacob’s eyes scan the other men, “find somewhere else to be.”

“Captain, respectfully-” One man begins, but Jacob is swift to cut him off.

“Trust that I will make sure that you all are informed of what you need to be. We need a moment alone.”

The authority in his tone makes a shiver run up my spine. The rest of his crew rises and cast their eyes downwards at Jacob’s feet as they pass – each seemingly too afraid to meet his stone-cold gaze. They travel in single file to the hatch, climbing downwards into the darkness below.

As soon as the hatch door closes, Jacob grips my wrist and tugs me forward, pushing me towards a wooden crate sitting by the foremast at Joshua’s side.

“Sit.” He orders, and I do so without resistance.

“Well?” The long-haired man asks, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to Jacob.

“I found them. But they’re encoded. She’s the only one left who knows how to read them.” Jacob explains. He’s standing with his legs parted and chin high – a boastful position that oozes authority, despite being shorter than the long-haired man.

“Could she not decode them now?” The fourth man asks, breaking his silence for the first time. He’s got darker features than the other three men, with black curly hair that frames his strong jawline.

“She said-”

“It will take time to decode them.” I interrupt the Captain, sitting up straighter as each of their gazes falls onto me. “I can speak for myself, thank you.”

The long-haired man chuckles softly under his breath, earning himself a glare from Jacob. He silences himself quickly.

“It has been a long time since I practised these symbols, and each set is slightly different from the others.”

“And how exactly do we know that we can trust you, lass?” Joshua asks with a tilt of his head. He’s smiling, and the expression reminds me so suddenly of Jacob that I assume they must be related somehow.

“We don’t.” The long-haired man mutters, leaning over towards the dark haired man as he speaks.

“Samuel, enough.” Jacob cuts in. “She’s all we have. There are no Calloways left that could decode these symbols. She’s the last one.”

Samuel raises his hands in a placating manner, shrugging his shoulders.

“Just asking, brother. Just asking. If she truly is the only one, then trust her we must, I suppose.”

The Captain nods at him solemnly.

“I don’t like it.” Joshua announces, crouching down before me so that we’re eye to eye. “You know what they always say…” He starts, grinning wickedly as he extends his hand to brush my cheek with his fingertips. “Never trust a fucking Calloway.’’

I jerk my head away from his touch, fear gripping me as he stares. His smile seems genuine and yet I see no kindness behind his eyes. It’s unsettling.

“Calloway I may be,” I start, narrowing my eyes at him in what I hope is a menacing expression, “but I would appreciate you stepping away from me.” The demand is overshadowed by the shake in my voice but I do not drop his gaze. Somehow, I feel as if looking away first would be a victory for him.

“Joshua…” Jacob begins, but he only shrugs as he rises from his squatted position.

“Kitten's got claws, it seems.” He says snidely, winking at me as he straightens himself.

“Daniel?” Jacob asks, turning to the dark-haired man. “You’ve not said anything.”

Daniel only hums quietly, touching his forefinger to his chin as if in thought.

“We don’t really have much of a choice, do we?”

They are all silent for a long moment and a shiver runs through me as I realize that my fate lies solely in the hands of these strange men.

“That’s settled then.” Jacob nods, wringing his hands together as he appraises me. “Take her to my quarters. She can sleep there for now.”

With that, Jacob turns on his heel and makes his way to the bow. His long coat billows behind him as he walks and I take it that I will most likely not see him again tonight.

Samuel and Daniel both turn their gazes back towards me, but Joshua’s eyes stay trained on Jacob’s back. His expression is one of pain – the depth of which I can scarcely imagine.

“Follow me.” Daniel says, and though his tone is not necessarily amicable, there is far more kindness in his tone compared to the other three.

I rise from my place and follow him down the steep stairs and through the hatch, steadying myself on the rails as we go. Though the November air outside on the deck had been chilled, down here is of a different set: more oppressive, more solid. It has substance. Moist and enveloping, sucking me in and stealing my breath. Already, I miss the clean air of land.

“Where will the Captain sleep if I am in his quarters?” I ask Daniel, eyes trained on his broad shoulders as we walk.

“He rarely sleeps down here, lass. If he sleeps at all.”

I nod, his response only arising more questions than answers. I say no more.

–

His quarters are not what I had expected them to be – almost homey in comparison to the rest of the ship. A lit lantern sits on the desk in the corner, casting the room in a warm light. His bed is perfectly made, looking almost completely untouched save for the rumpled covers at the foot, indicating that he must have sat down there recently.

“What’s your name, lass?” Daniel asks me as I step through the threshold.

“Y/n.”

He just nods, staring at me for a long moment. His gaze is piercing, yet I do not feel uncomfortable from it.

“Thank you for agreeing to this, Y/n. Though it is not my place to tell you why translating those notes is important to him, just know that you are instrumental in retrieving something very important to him – to all of us, really.”

I do not know how to answer him. I only give him a terse smile as I place my pack on the Captain’s bed.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Thank you, Daniel.” I hope that he knows that I mean it.

Once the door closes behind him, I take a moment to observe the room closer. His desk is cluttered – scribbled notes and maps littering the surface. Gingerly, I step forward to examine them. I sort through each one slowly, feeling like a child doing something she knows she’s not supposed to. Most of the notes are nonsense to me – sea-faring talk that I do not understand the meaning of.

But it’s not those that catch my eye. Amongst the scribbles, there lies a few metered verses scrawled into the margins of the pages.

Poems.

Few of them finished and most covered in crossed out words, but poems nonetheless. As I glance over them, I cannot help but to admire the lines. The Captain has a way with words.

The thought of him sitting alone here, bent over a piece of paper and scrawling these verses makes warmth spark to light in my belly – despite the fact that they are not happy verses. Yet their sorrow carries beauty. Wistful lamentations of being lost at sea – torn apart and floating aimlessly through the frothy depths. Reading them feels like the deepest invasion of privacy and I tear my eyes away from them.

There is one painting sitting framed on his desk. A woman – with beautiful dark skin and long hair. I pick up the frame, admiring her closer. Though it is only a painting, I cannot help but stand in awe at her beauty. My mind spins with possibilities of who she might be. A lover, surely. An odd feeling takes root in my sternum at the thought, though I cannot begin to explain why. Turning the frame over, I see no markings that give any indication as to who the woman is or when the painting was done.

A knock at the door startles me, and I quickly place the frame back into its spot. I step away from the desk, once again feeling as though I am not supposed to be in here.

The door opens before I can invite the intruder in and I bristle as Joshua strides into the room, pointedly closing the door behind him. The dim light of the lantern casts shadows across his sharp jawline and his white teeth almost glow in the darkness. There is something about him… an aura that sets me on edge. He’s like the clouds that cover the sky before a heavy storm – looming menacingly on the horizon. I feel as though he might snap any moment, pulling me into the fray alongside him.

“What do you want?” I ask, cursing how meek my voice sounds.

“Sit.” He orders, his voice silky smooth as he points towards the end of the Captain’s bed.

I huff a breath as I follow his command.

“I am only going to say this one time, lass.” He mutters, stepping in close to me and leaning downwards – so close that I can feel his hot breath on my face. “Breathe a word of what I am about to say to you to anyone, and there will be Hell to pay. Do you understand?”

I purse my lips and do not give him an answer, but he seems to take my silence as answer enough.

“My brother… he’s been through much. And the thing he seeks means more to him than the very air he breathes.” His voice is low, almost a whisper as he speaks. “If for some reason he does not succeed, he will not survive it.”

I open my mouth – intent on demanding answers as to what this quest of his must be but he silences me with a piercing look.

“I will not tell you what it is that he seeks. It is not your place to know. I simply need you to understand something.”

Already, I grow tired of the riddles. But yet… I understand that I am not yet owed any explanation. They do not trust me – nor I them. Yet, here I am on their ship, abandoning everything that I know for the sake of helping a pirate who threatened my life. It sounds so absurd I almost laugh out loud.

“And what exactly do you need me to know?”

“If the reason that he does not succeed is you… understand that I will kill you. Slowly. Painfully. In all the ways that I know hurt the most. I have lost more than you could ever even dream of, and I will not lose him too.”

The aggression of his earlier tone gives way to a deep, heart wrenching desperation as he speaks, and I find myself nodding without conscious thought. There is no doubt in my mind now that he and the Captain’s relationship is close – even for siblings. I am struck with a pang of jealousy at the thought of someone loving me that fiercely and, despite the circumstance, I cannot help but admire the intense protectiveness that the man in front of me possesses.

“I understand.” I whisper, meeting his gaze with as much honesty as I can. “I want to help him. I cannot tell you why, but I know that helping him is what I am meant to do. And I know that the nature of my family name must give you reason to doubt that – but believe me when I tell you that I am not like the rest of my family. I knew few of them, and the ones I did I wish that I had not…” I trail off for a moment, feeling suddenly startled by the honesty of my own words. I had never spoken this out loud to anyone before and here I am, spilling my most personal secrets with a stranger. There is something about Joshua that seems to draw the truth from between my lips unbidden.

“So please see the truth within my words," I continue, my words coming out only just above a whisper, "when I say that I refuse to be anything like them. And I will do anything and everything in my power to help the Captain in his quest – whatever it may be.”

There is no lie as I meet Joshua’s gaze, and somehow I can see that he realises it.

Joshua nods and for the very first time, his expression is genuine as he regards me.

“I think we understand each other, then.” He says, straightening up and heading towards the door.

“I think we do.”

“Good night, Y/n.” And with that, he’s gone.

I exhale through my nose, instantly feeling more at ease at his absence. A tentative truce may have occurred between myself and Joshua but I am not fool enough to believe that he really trusts me. I certainly do not fully trust him.

As the silence of the room surrounds me, a bone-deep weariness overtakes me – the emotional turbulence of the day finally catching up to me. I eye my pack, debating on whether or not I have the energy to pull out those folded pages within and begin the painstaking task of translating them. Pressing as the matter may be, my vision is already swimming and the thought of trying to decipher the codes sounds near impossible at the moment. It would be of no real use to attempt it now.

Instead, I place my pack on the floor and pull the covers back, slipping into the beckoning warmth of the bed. Immediately, my senses are flooded with his smell – sweet whiskey, sweat, and the smell of salt all mixed together with his natural musk. I inhale deeply as I settle in, closing my eyes against the dim glow of the lantern, now only just barely still burning. It doesn’t take long for the gentle rock of the boat to lull me into sleep.

:¨·.·¨:☾☆༺ 𓆩⚔︎𓆪 ༻☆☽:¨·.·¨:

Joshua POV

Jacob has not moved by the time I ascend to the deck again. He stands at the bow, looking out into the dark waters.

Even from afar, his pain radiates from him like a black smoke, sputtering out of his very pores and coating myself and him with its inky substance, threatening to choke us both. I wish desperately that I could take it from him.

“She’s settled, I think.” I speak into the silence, coming to stand just behind him.

“Thank you.”

He makes no move to turn around as he speaks and the distance between us has never felt more cavernous. I ache to reach out and touch him… to feel the warmth of him as some sort of proof that he’s still alive and not made of cold stone.

“Do you really think those notes are the key to all of this?”

Still, he does not even look at me.

“They will at least give me some sort of inkling as to whatever it is that I will be walking into.”

“We.” I remind him, pointedly taking a step closer so that our shoulders are almost touching. His gaze remains fixed upon the water, watching how the moon’s reflection dances with the waves.

“There is no telling the danger that lies in waiting. I cannot ask you to follow me. Any of you.”

“Then it is a good thing that you do not have to ask.” I grip his shoulder, willing him silently to at least look at me as I speak. He does not, instead simply shrugging his shoulder to detach himself from my grip.

He only hums in response and I cannot stop the sigh that escapes me. This is not the first time that we have had this discussion – nor will it be the last. But I will sooner throw myself overboard than allow him to do this alone.

“Jack said that we will need to stop for provisions.”

Jacob nods.

“We will stop at Nassau, then. Make a quick stop there for rest and supplies before setting out.”

I roll my eyes, groaning at the suggestion.

“Must you always choose the most vile of places, brother mine? I can already smell the shit and piss from here.”

At last, Jacob turns to look at me and he chuckles lightly – and the sound makes my entire body thrum with warmth. I have not heard him laugh in a very long time.

“That’s our own people that you’re speaking about, Joshua.” He says with a small grin.

“And I’m sure Hornigold will be oh so pleased to see you again.”

Jacob nods.

“If he sees me. Though the hope is that he is none the wiser that we are there.”

“And if he does find out?”

“Then he will just have to get over himself.”

We are both silent for a moment and it feels, briefly, like everything is back to normal… like none of it happened. I wish I could make it so. There are so many things that I wish we all had done differently.

I shake my head. It does no good now to dwell on the past.

“Try and get some sleep tonight, Jacob. I know I’m the prettier twin anyway... but you look like shit.”

Jacob exhales a laugh, narrowing his eyes at me. At first, I think he might send a jab back at me – a playful insult to level the playing field. It’s what the old Jacob would have done. But he doesn’t. It’s only another painful reminder that the Jacob I once knew is long gone.

“I’ll try.” He says, and that’s the closest he’s come to actually admitting that he hasn’t been sleeping well – a fact which we are all aware of, yet too afraid to mention to his face. The men fear him now – a fact that pains me beyond measure. The man standing in front of me... I hardly recognize him anymore.

“My door is always unlocked.” My words slip out unbidden. It’s silly – the prospect of two grown men sharing a bed. But I won’t retract the offer. We used to do it when we were young… when one of us needed comfort or had a bad dream. Surely, after everything, no one could fault either of us for seeking out some extra comfort. Though undoubtedly, he will not take it.

“I know.” Jacob turns back around, and I can see in his posture the silent dismissal. Though my heart aches as I make my leave, I am comforted slightly in the knowledge that he had laughed – it was small, more of an exhale really, but he had laughed. As minuscule of a victory it may be, it is a victory still. A sign that the real Jacob is still in there somewhere – just hidden away from us. I can only pray that he will return to us. If this mission of his fails… I can only fear the worst.

:¨·.·¨:☾☆༺ 𓆩⚔︎𓆪 ༻☆☽:¨·.·¨:

Part III

Mirror of the Damned taglist:

@jakeyt @sacredjake @carbondancingthroughtime @literal-dead-leaf @sinarainbows @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @aflame4goinghome @writingcold @ignite-my-fire @mysticalstarcatcher @brinlygvf @mackalah @vanfleeter @chewbeka22 @starcatcherchords @char289 @amygvf13 @way-to-go-lad @jaketlove

#mirror of the damned #dee's writing #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka fanfiction #pirate jake kiszka #jake kiszka

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