Forever True

The following few weeks (after I got over the massive cold that I’d gained after being in the pouring rain for a solid hour), Jake made more time to visit me. He told me about Bella and how much he hated her boyfriend, Edward Cullen, and how much he loved her. It made me sick with envy, though I never showed it.

One day, Jacob said he had to ‘use his animal side to help Bella,’ and ran off before I could ask him any questions or even find out what was going on. When he returned the next day, carried in by Sam Uley, he was badly wounded, and I went to his crowded house to visit him.

“L-Leona--” Billy stammered when he answered the door.

“You can’t send me away this time,” I said as I fought back tears. “I know Jacob’s a werewolf and nothing is going to keep me from seeing him right now.”

Billy stared blankly as Sam came up beside him. “You must be Leona,” Sam said calmly, and I nodded. “Come with me; he asked for you.”

I stepped inside the small house, feeling my heart warm slightly, though my worry didn’t subside. The familiar house smelled of peppermint and cars, more than likely from all of Jacob’s work on various types of transportation. I followed Sam, who walked quickly and fluidly, reminding me of some kind of apparition or spirit, until he stopped in front of Jacob’s room.

There were three other people in the room: Quil, Embry, and Paul. Upon seeing me, they left the room, acknowledging me in various ways as they walked past; a pat on the shoulder or a nod. I looked up at Sam, as if asking his permission, and he nodded for me to go in.

I stepped into Jacob’s small, cluttered room, stopping short when I saw him. He was badly injured, bruised and beaten.

“Jake?” I asked quietly, biting my lip to keep from crying.

“Bella?” he asked, and my heart broke.

“No, Jake,” I said as the tears started down my cheeks, “it’s Leona.” It was more his condition that upset me though, since I knew I shouldn’t be selfish and worry about petty things like how madly I was in love with him. That could wait.

“Le…” he breathed, and I went to his bedside, sitting on the floor, crying as I rested my forehead against the side of the mattress. “Leona, you aren’t crying, are you?”

“Of course not,” I lied unconvincingly, my voice broken and weak, much like his current condition.

“Aw, Le, don’t cry… I’ll be up by morning.”

“You better not be, or I’ll have to hunt you down,” I said, and he smiled, his eyes still closed. I picked up his hand carefully, placing a gentle kiss on his knuckles and then pressing the back of his hand to my cheek. “You gotta be more careful, okay? Please, promise me…”

But he was already asleep.

I kissed his hand once more, then stood, taking a last look at him before leaving the room and walking straight out of the house just as a pale-skinned brunette stumbled her way up the stairs.

I went to the beach then, watching the water ripple softly, pulling my thin grey sweater tighter around me. My hair billowed around my face as I sat down, hugging my knees, tears slipping down my cheeks as I stared at the water. Jacob…not Jacob…

A velvet voice greeted my acute ears. “Leona Sparrowsong?”

I looked up to see one of the Cullens: the youngest, Edward. He was inhumanly handsome. The kind of handsome you only saw in paintings or on the perfectly carved faces of statues. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of a light blue coat, his copper hair a perfectly tousled mess.

“Yeah,” I answered, my voice breaking. I pushed my hair back nervously after meeting his eyes.

“You love Jacob very much, don’t you?” he asked, unprovoked.

“H-How did you know that?” I asked, and he smiled, one corner of his mouth higher than the other in a very attractive way.

“Bella told me. She guessed. She saw you leave, saw how upset you looked.”

Bella. So that was who the girl was.

“Oh,” was all I could say, and I looked toward the water, regaining my senses. “So why do you care?”

He chuckled, apparently surprised by my brash attitude. He took a nearly-silent step toward me. “I just thought you needed someone on your side, that’s all. I’m Edward Cullen, by the way.” He held out his hand to shake mine, and I obliged, though his hand was freezing and hard, like stone.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

There was something about his aura, his nature, that I just wanted to spill my guts to. That I trusted. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to trust the Cullens so easily, because of my heritage and ancient treaties, but it wasn’t like he was a vampire, or a cold one, or whatever they called them. It was like he was just a person. A friend.

“I can’t lose Jacob. I can’t,” I said, my chin resting on my knees. “But… even when he does get better… if he does get better,” I felt a tear slip down my cheek, “he’ll still love her.”

“It’s an awful feeling, when the one you love loves another, but Leona, take my word for it: Jacob Black loves you more than he lets on.”

“What, are you some kind of mind reader?”

He snickered, to my surprise. “You could say that.”

At that moment, what he had said sunk in.

Jacob loves me?

I’m talking to a mind reader?

“So you knew I loved Jacob because you read my mind?”

“Yes… it was sort of an accident- your voice just stood out over the others, and I picked up on your thoughts as you were leaving the house. You have one of the purest minds I’ve ever heard.”

That was definitely going on my top ten list of weirdest compliments.

“Um… thanks.” Then I realized something. “So, you’re actually on the rez. Anyone yelled at you yet?”

He smirked crookedly, and I realized that he sort of resembled an angel or something. He was definitely cute, but way too vampire-y to be my type.

“No… my father is treating Jacob, so there’s some sort of temporary lapse in the treaty. It’s the first time that werewolves and vampires have actually worked together rather than against each other.”

“Weird,” I said, looking out at the water. “Wait, your father? Who’s your father?”

“Dr. Carlisle Cullen,” Edward said.

“Oh! I know him!” I said, and Edward cocked his head to one side, as if asking how. “I was eight and I broke my leg, and my mom took me to the hospital. She knew about the legend, you know, the Cold Ones thing, but she said he was just so handsome and such a good doctor that she couldn’t turn him away.”

Edward smiled again. “Yes… he has that effect on people.”

“I bet. I remember him too… he was really nice. And he didn’t expect me to know my entire medical history like most doctors.”

“Yes, Carlisle is very perceptive of people’s needs. He’s extremely compassionate. That’s what makes him such a great doctor.”

“Yeah,” I said, a little taken aback by the rush of awe and admiration in Edward’s voice when he spoke of his adoptive father. I looked back out at the sea.

“Hey Edward, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Is Jake gonna be okay? I just… I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him.”

Edward chuckled. “Well, normally I would ask my sister, Alice- she can see the future- but she when she tries to see the werewolf’s future it all goes dark.”

“But what do you think?” I asked, wiping a stray tear off my cheek with my sleeve.

He spoke softly, but his voice was sure. “I think that Jacob is going to be just fine.”

And I was crying again, resting my head on my knees, my hands folded over the back of my neck.

I could practically feel Edward’s panic. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” I sobbed, “you said exactly what I needed to hear.”

I was sure he was confused now, but it was okay. I was relieved and scared and nervous all at once, and I guess those mixed together equals me blubbering like an idiot in front of a cute vampire dude.

“I’m sorry,” I said, glancing over at him, and he shook his head, dismissing it.

“You don’t need to apologize. Love has strange effects on people, some that don’t make sense, some that seem irrational. Believe me, I know,” he said this with amusement. “I’ve been in your position before, thinking I was going to lose the one I loved the most, and it’s very difficult to deal with.”

Then it hit me. “Are you talking about… Bella?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s sweet,” I said, and realized that I was calming down. “Jake kinda made you out to be a real jerk.”

Edward seemed amused again. “Did he?”

I laughed. “He usually refers to you as ‘leech’ or ‘bloodsucker,’” I said, and Edward laughed, a strange sound, like a wind chime or something.

“Well, I suppose there is guilt on both sides. I call him ‘mutt.’”

I had to laugh this time, just because it was hard to picture Edward Cullen, elegant and refined and vampire-y, getting all bitter and jealous and resentful like Jacob always did.

“Differences aside, though, Jacob Black seems like a very good person.”

“He is. He’s a great person,” I said softly.

“Edward?” came a girl’s voice, low and human. Edward was standing in an instant.

“Bella,” he breathed, and I could feel his love for her just from his tone of voice. I quickly wiped my sleeves over my cheeks, standing up. “Bella, this is Leona Sparrowsong. Leona, this is my fiancée, Bella.”

Fiancée? Weren’t they both still in high school?

Bella looked nervous and embarrassed when he said the word, but he looked proud. I wondered what was going on there.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, holding my hand out to shake hers, and she smiled at me. She was very plain, very normal-looking. I think that’s what I liked about her. She wasn’t drop-dead OH MY GOD beautiful like the blonde Cullen, the girl… Rosalind, I think?

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Bella said. “Wow, your hand is warm.”

“I think it’s a Quileute thing,” I said, and she smiled, understanding. Edward carefully wrapped his arm around her.

“Any news from Carlisle?” Edward asked, and I wondered if he was just asking aloud for my benefit.

Bella suddenly looked somber and kind of sick. I realized that she’d been crying too, not like me, but crying nonetheless. “No,” she reported, and I felt my heart drop to my feet. “But I’m sure he’ll be okay. He was already smarting off to me,” she tacked on after seeing my expression.

“That sounds like him,” I said with a forced laugh.

“Yeah…” Bella said quietly, then looked up at Edward. “We should go… Charlie’s probably called the SWAT team already.”

“You’re right,” he said, his voice so much smoother than hers. He turned to me. “Leona, it was very nice talking to you. I wish you well.”

“It was really nice talking to you, too. I just… well, thank you, I guess I’m trying to say. Thank you.” I didn’t want to make Bella feel awkward.

“No problem,” he said, and he sounded like he meant it.

“You all are welcome on the rez anytime as far as I’m concerned, okay?” I told him, and he smiled.

“Thank you,” he said.

“It was nice meeting you,” I told Bella.

“Nice meeting you too. Oh, and, um, this might sound weird, but Jacob told me that if I saw you I should tell you not to cry anymore.”

I smiled, letting that sink in. “That sounds like him too. Thanks.”

“No problem,” she said, and she and Edward joined hands and said their goodbyes, and were gone.

I felt better: Edward, a vampire, the sworn enemy of my kind, was really a nice guy; Bella, his girlfriend, was going to be marrying him and she seemed like a down to earth girl; Jake was going to get better and was being treated by Doctor Cullen… the world was looking up.

And Jake loved me.

I wondered about it now. I mean, lots of people love each other. Did he love me the way I loved him?

I nearly smacked myself. Why was I thinking about my own little hopes and dreams when I should be keeping Jake company?