It Was You From the Start

Rory was screaming. I knew I had to get her out of here.

“What’s wrong? Why is she screaming?” I ignored Calvin. I didn’t have time to deal with him. I picked her up in my arms.

“Quil, you go tell Sam. I’m going to the forest.”

“Right. Tell Sam.” He ran down the stairs.

“Jacob Black, I demand you tell me what is going on.”

“I need you to pack her a change of clothes and leaven them at the edge of the forest.”

“This can’t be happening now. She just got here. The vampires wouldn’t have affected her already.” Rory let out another long piercing scream.

“I don’t have time. I’ve gotta go and get her out of her. Right now, your only job to help her is to get her clothes.” I didn’t wait for another reply. I left running down the stairs and out the door, into the woods. She was still screaming. I didn’t know how to make her stop.

Ror, please stop screaming. Calm down, please. I’m begging you here.

It’s killing me, Jacob!

It’s not killing you. I thought calmly.

Well, it hurts!

I know, honey, but screaming isn’t going to make the pain stop.

She stopped screaming, but she was crying. I knew this pain, and she was right to cry. It hurts almost as if you’re being stabbed fifty thousand times again and again. I felt bad for her. I felt bad for all of us. The stupid vampires.

Are you going to tell me that vampires exist, too?

Afraid so, Ror. They’re the reason we do.

Why?

I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Sam.

So there’s no way that this can be stopped.

Not when you’re just a puppy. I smiled, but stopped when I saw she wasn’t smiling back. I’m sorry.

It’s not your fault.

I feel like it is though.

That is what we in the normal human world are calling love. I laughed.

You always know how to lighten up a heavy moment.

I guess I do.

I was still running. I wasn’t paying any attention to how far I’d come. All I thought was that I had to get Rory as far away from town as possible. I smelled the air. It smelt like barbeque, so I knew we were still close. I ran faster, and deeper into the woods, until the barbeque smell disappeared.

Jacob stop.

Stop what? I’m not doing anything.

You’re pulling my arm.

No, I’m not.

Well, something is.

The change. It’s happening right now. I need to ask you to try not to panic.

I’ll try not to. What do I do?

Try not to scream. We’re far enough away from town that no one will hear you, but you’ve got a set of lungs, so I don’t know if we ARE far enough.

Shut up. I could care less about people hearing me. Just don’t leave me.

I’m not going to. As soon as you phase, I’m going to phase right after you okay? I’m not going anywhere.

Okay. I set her on the ground, and sat down next to her. She winced.

I’m sorry. I stroked her cheek.

It wasn’t you.

Ready or not.

I won’t be that different, will I? I mean, I’ll still be my normal self, right?

You’ll still be Rory. Just a little warmer. We have a higher body temperature than normal humans.

That’s what’s up with the warm skin! I laughed.

All of the other things that are wrong with us and you think about the warm skin?

I don’t really know about anything else. I couldn’t read minds before, remember?

I almost forgot actually. I’ve been talking to you in my mind for so long I actually almost forgot. She started shaking again. She let out a scream. It’s okay. That’s supposed to happen. She kept screaming. If you want this to go faster, think of things that make you mad.

Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. I laughed. I could tell she tried to smile, but she was in so much pain. She kept repeating ‘Dad’ in her head. It got to the point where it was annoying. I didn’t care, just as long as her pain stopped.

And then it happened. The stretching and cracking. Two things I will remember for the rest of my life, but also never witnessed. I pulled of my shorts and tied the leather cord around them on my ankle. I phased, somehow feeling pain. This was all sympathy pain from what she was feeling. Of what she had become.