Start Living Now

I woke up with a start. For a moment, I thought everything that had happened had just been a really bad dream. Then I looked down and saw the numerous stitches and splints on my body. Nope, it was all real; my own personal hell. Well, at least the dull aching sensation had faded away to almost nothing.

“As soon as one of my Forms has healed enough, I’m out of here. Straight to Canada,” I mumbled to myself.

“Yeah, we thought you’d end up doing that. That’s why Carlisle wants you watched at all hours. Tough luck, honey,” a deep male voice said.

I turned my head to see who spoke, but I couldn’t really tell where the voice had come from. Oh, but I could smell him. I figured he must’ve been related to Carlisle, because he had the same repulsive smell, only his was a little wilder. Besides the nauseating odor, he smelled a bit like a grizzly bear. A small lamp by the doctor’s desk turned on. Whoever was in the room with me was sitting in the swivel chair, which was currently facing away from me.

“Sorry if I smell bad to you. Carlisle did mention that you have a strong nose for a werewolf-er-Shapeshifter. He said that too.”

“Said what? Who’s there?”

The chair spun around, revealing a young muscular, brunette man. He was VERY attractive, but I quickly put that thought in the back of my mind. He was pale like Carlisle, and had the same colored eyes as the doctor and Jasper. They had to be related somehow.

“Said you like to be called ‘Shapeshifter’ instead of ‘werewolf.’ Don’t see why, but whatever floats your boat. He also said you get irritable whenever too many people came into the room, and talked about you as if you weren’t there. And he said you have a rather blunt way of putting things.”

“Is that all he said? Talk about doctor/patient confidentiality.”

The boy laughed a hearty laugh and made his way over to the bed. “He was right; you are blunt. I like that. A lot of people in this house don’t talk like that; they like to be proper. Finally, somebody who’s as straight-forward as I am. I’m Emmett. What’s your name, sugar?”

“Jael. If you’re coming onto me with all this ‘sugar’ talk, you can forget it, bub. I’m not interested.”

Emmett put on a face that mocked hurt. “Ouch. That hurt. Ha, no I’m just kidding. Don’t worry about me ‘coming onto you;’ I’m spoken for. Rose would probably tear me to pieces again if I was.” He gave a shudder.

I giggled. “So I take it she wears the pants? I’m surprised. You don’t look like a pushover.”

Emmett looked at me seriously. “You don’t know Rosalie. My sometimes wife is only interested in me when she feels like it. I don’t care, it’s all good.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re crazy about her, because otherwise me making fun of you for having no backbone would really hurt your feelings,” I teased.

“I HAVE a backbone. YOU on the other hand, came very close to losing one.”

“If I lost my backbone, I’d be dead, you thick, muscular oaf.”

“Oh, you like these guns, eh?” Emmett raised his arms, flexing his muscles. He lowered them, and stared at me with a somber face. “Jael, you WERE that close to dying. You know that, right?”

“What?”

“Yeah, If Jacob hadn’t gotten you to the house in time, you would’ve died. You were in bad shape. And even though you’re pissed that it’s taking so long to heal, based on the condition you were in when you got here, you’re doing great. But you really owe it all to Jacob; he saved your life.”

He had me there. I tried sitting up, but couldn’t. Emmett raised the top of the bed so that I could sit comfortably before ever so slowly lifting me up into a sitting position.

“You’re cold.”

“And you’re hot. So?”

“Why are you so cold?”

Emmet shrugged. “Eh, I guess body temperature doesn’t matter when you’re a vampire.”

“A WHAT?!”

He gave me a sour face. “Shit. I forgot Carlisle didn’t break the news to you. Oh well, better late than never. You’re in a house full of vampires, Jael. Don’t worry, we’re vegetarians; we only drink animal blood.”

I was in disbelief. Vampires existed? But then again, my kind existed, so who knows what other kind of mythical creatures were out there? I was amazed at how well I was taking the news. Anyway, it’s not like they were taking care of me just so they could kill me, right? And if they were, these were some pretty stupid vampires.

“Jael? Are you okay?” Emmett’s face had a small hint of anxiety on it. I couldn’t keep him waiting now, could I? So I answered him in what I thought was the most appropriate way.

“I’M an animal. You aren’t gonna kill me for my blood are you?” I grinned.

Emmett laughed that booming laugh again. “No, sorry. I like grizzly bears, personally; they put up a pretty good fight, which is what it’s all about for me. That and, you stink; too much Shapeshifter in your blood.”

“Oh, what a shame. If I was in my normal, super-cool shape, I’d kick your ass. And what do you mean I stink? I smell just fine. YOU’RE the one who needs a shower.”

“Eh, it’s a love-hate-relationship. Everybody here is like that. My family and the other Shapeshifters get along alright, but both sides believe the other one stinks. We’re supposed to be natural enemies, so I guess the smell is how we can point each other out when among humans.”

“We’re natural enemies, eh? I think we’re doing a bad job of being enemies, then.”

“No, we all get along now. At least, my coven and the Shapeshifters from the reservation.”

“The Quileute’s have a pack? How many Shapeshifters are in it? What about your coven- does it have a lot of members too?”

“Oh, I couldn’t say for sure about the pack. It grows. As for my coven, there are nine of us, with an occasional visit from other vampires.”

“Is Carlisle a vampire too? Who haven’t I met from your coven? How did you all resist my blood when Jacob brought me here? Is Jacob one of you or is he a Shapeshifter? Who was the grey wolf that jumped me? Who-”

“Whoa, Whoa. Settle down. Your blood pressure’ll go up and then I’ll have to get Carlisle. And since you’re doing well -attitude wise- I really don’t want to do that. As a matter of fact, I have to go ask him what to bring you to eat, so stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Where else am I going to go?” I mumbled to myself, “I can’t even move without almost breaking something!”

After I had calmed down and Emmett brought me some food- spaghetti and meatballs, because Carlisle said I needed to get some carbohydrates in me- I still felt like talking to Emmett. So when Alice came so change ‘Jael-watching’ shifts with him, I asked him to stay for a little bit longer; and he happily obliged. Alice looked a little hurt, and mumbled something that sounded like “I wanted to become friends with her first, Em.” But she assured me that she didn’t mind, and that she’d come back in a few hours so that Emmett could go hunting with Rosalie and Jasper.

“So Emmett, you never answered any of my questions. Is that a habit that you picked up from your dad?”

Emmett looked at me. “Carlisle? He’s not my dad. Vampires can’t have kids. Well, unless it’s with a human, like Edward did with Bella, but we-”

“Hold on, who’s Edward and Bella? And why not? And-and-this is confusing.”

Emmett chuckled. “Well, we have a while. I’ll try to tell you as much as I can, but after that, you’ll just have to ask Alice. Okay? And you tell me as much about you as possible, if you don’t mind.”

I paused. Even thought we were getting along, I didn’t want to tell Emmett everything that had happened to me. I just didn’t want to talk about it, ever. Especially when I was sitting in an improvised hospital bed; I would get too upset, and then do something stupid.

“Um…deal on you telling me everything you can, but I’ll take a rain check on my part.”

Surprisingly, Emmett didn’t pester me about it. “Ok, I can live with that. Some other time maybe, when you’re ready.”

I smiled. Thank the Ancestors Emmett and I were kindred spirits. We didn’t have to explain much to each other. “So where should we start?”

“I’d say, from the beginning.”

“So, start, ya big palooka.” What can I say? I liked calling him names; they were all in fun anyway, and he didn’t seem to mind because he fired ones right back at me.

And as Emmett began his long tale, I couldn’t help but think to myself that if only I hadn’t promised myself that I wouldn’t get attached to anyone while I was here, this would be the start of a beautiful friendship.