Start Living Now

The sound of an opening door filled my ears. I stopped breathing, and tried to close my eyes again. The sounds of my discomfort could be heard, no matter how hard I tried to stay quiet. I heard a small chuckle near the door.

“Well, it looks like you’ve awakened. I was beginning to worry.”

A young blonde man walked up to the makeshift bed I was laying on. He had a caring face that just bristled with wisdom. I bet he was some sort of doctor or therapist. The way his eyes glistened made him look as if he’d been around for hundreds of years; as if he had seen a lot of things in his lifetime. Yet, he didn’t look a day past twenty-nine.

I quickly shook the observant thoughts out of my head and asked ol’ Blondey the question I was dying to have an answer to. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite come out the way I intended.

“Where the fuck am I and what the hell is that smell?!” Talk about making a lasting first impression. Well, in my defense- it sounded WAY better in my head.

The blonde man chuckled again. “I’m sorry, I was being terribly rude, wasn’t? My name is Carlisle Cullen. As for your location, you’re not too far away from Forks, Washington.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, but where am I?” When he saw me try to sit up, he gently pushed me back down onto the makeshift bed.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You have a lot of broken bones. Most of your ribs and at least two of your lower vertebrae are damaged, among other things, and you need to be lying down in order for them to heal properly.”

“Great. Wait-how do you know all of this? And you still haven’t answered my question, blondey.”

“Carlisle. I’m a doctor.” Immediately my eyes widened. I can’t be in a hospital! As soon as the doctors took my temperature, I’d be turned into a guinea pig; I mean it’s not like normal humans have a temperature of 108.9º F.

The look on my face must’ve shown what I was thinking, because Carlisle simply said, “Don’t worry, you’re not in a hospital. You’re at my house, in my study, actually. It’s not like the pack could’ve taken you to a hospital, after all. Lucky for you, you’re not the first werewolf I’ve treated for broken bones.”

“Oh…Wait, ‘werewolf?’ What the are you talking about, doc? I’m not a werewolf.”

“Oh, that’s right, I’d forgotten. The correct term is ‘Shapeshifter,’ isn’t it? I’m sorry; the pack still calls themselves ‘werewolves.’ Old habits die hard.”

“How do you know about Shapeshifters? Are you one? You don’t smell like one. You smell—well…” Truth was I didn’t want to be rude. Carlisle smelled terrible, which was strange because you’d think doctors like him would be aware of personal hygiene, and how to maintain it. "Different."

This time Carlisle laughed instead of chuckled. “No, no, I’m not a werewolf. I’m surprised you didn’t notice already. Anyway, it’s a long story, but to make it short…”

The whole time Carlisle was talking, I was planning things out in my head, trying to figure out what sort of story I should tell these people while trying to breathe through my mouth; I don’t know why, but the doc’s study- probably his whole house- stunk. Badly.

I wasn’t coming up with any good lies to tell. It wasn’t like I could just go and say “Hi, my name’s Jael. I’m a wanted Shapeshifter who’s on the run from my old pack. Could you do me a favor and not tell them I was here if they ever stop by, so that I can get away?”

But if there was a pack here, that meant I had to keep to myself. I assumed that pack were from the Quileute reservation. A long time ago, Quinaults and Quileutes used to belong to the same tribe, but eventually the Quinaults moved a little south to start their own tribe. They’re basically the same tribe, but with different names. We share a lot of the same traditions, myths and customs, so who’s to say that we don’t share the “myths” that our people are descendants of wolves?

Apparently Carlisle stopped talking, because the room was completely silent. I looked at him, and he returned my gaze with a smile. Had he figured out that I wasn’t paying any attention to what he was talking about?

“Well, you know my name. Can you return the favor by telling me yours?”

My slight smile faded. What was I supposed to tell him? What could I tell him when I didn’t know if I could trust him completely?

“My name isn’t important. Call me ‘Jane Doe’ for all I care. What is that smell?”

My somewhat subtle attempt to change the subject earned another laugh from the doctor. “I understand that you wish to be discreet about yourself, but I can assure you that whatever is discussed between us will remain private.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. This is strict doctor/patient business here.”

He seemed honest, but I’ve learned the hard way when it comes to trusting people who appear sincere. Still, he looked like the kind of guy somebody like me could trust. And if it came down to it, I could always kill him if he gave away my position to Niko or anyone else from his pack. I hope that would never happen; I hate killing.

So I took a chance, and confided in the doctor.

“My name is Jael.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jael. That’s a rather unique name. Does it have a last name to match?”

I couldn’t help but giggle, which was stupid on my part; Carlisle DID say I had multiple fractures. Which added another question to my list: why was it taking so long for my injuries to heal? Normally if I had broken a bone it would heal in a matter of minutes. I had been talking to Carlisle for at least fourty, so what was taking so long?

“It does. Utina. Jael Utina.”

“That’s a lovely name.”

“Yeah, thanks. Um, Carlisle? You said I’m not the first of my kind you’ve treated, right?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Why is it taking my bones so long to heal?”

At that question, Carlisle’s smile turned into a frown. That couldn’t have been a good thing, right?

“Well, you see Jael, you took a lot of damage. If you were a normal human being, you would’ve died the minute those last couple of bullets penetrated you skin. It was very difficult to get them out, and-”

“I was there, remember? I felt them go into my skin. Cut the chase, Carlisle. Just answer the question.”

“The way the last round of bullets penetrated your skin impaired your tailbone, along with some of your lower spine’s nerve endings. Your body has had a hard time responding to that shock, that’s why you blacked out shortly afterwards. It’s taken a while for your body to try to heal itself, which explains why you were asleep for so long.”

“WHAT?! What does that mean? I can Still shift, right? And what do you mean ‘why you were asleep for so long?’ How long have I been out?”

Carlisle seemed hesitant to respond.

“Tell me Carlisle! How long have I been asleep?!”

Carlisle opened his mouth to respond, and was never able to finish the sentence he barely started. Because at that moment, to door to the study/makeshift hospital room burst open. Carlisle turned his head to see who had barged in on our PRIVATE doctor/patient conversation.

“Doc! Is it true? Nessie told me she woke up not too long ago. I came as soon as I could, but you know how the pack is.”

Carlisle just chuckled. “Yes, I know how it is. She’s up, but I don’t think now’s the best time to bother her. She needs some rest.”

“Are you sure? I want to talk to her.”

Enough of this. I’m not going to be talked about like I don’t exist when I’m in the room. “Hello? I’m laying down right here, ya know.”

I turned my head to see who Carlisle was talking to, which resulted in me yelping in pain. I had to remember to stop making sudden movements.

Standing by the door was a tall, dark-skinned boy with somewhat short, black hair. He was wearing a long sleeved grey shirt, and had an excited, hopeful look on his face. He walked up to my bed with a smile.

“Hi. I’m Jacob. Jacob Black.”