Ash Over Seas

I chuckled, shaking my head slightly as I peered out at Justin Hurley’s house to find kids wandering about the lawn, the telltale red cups clutched in their hands like lifelines.

“What?” Jake asked warily as he cut the engine and opened my door for me.

“American parties are so cliché,” I replied, throwing him a cheeky grin.

“Ha,” he barked sarcastically as we made our way across the lawn. “Well, pardon our lack of tea and crumpets.”

I just snorted and followed him into the house, finding it much more crowded than the lawn had been, with loud music pulsing everywhere and sweaty bodies twisting together in seductive motions, most of them after only one thing.

“Um, do you want a drink or something?” Jake asked, and I thanked fate for my enhanced hearing, otherwise I never would have heard him.

I shrugged. “Sure, maybe one.”

He nodded and we headed over to the ‘refreshments station’ running into Kim, Jared and Embry on the way.

“Hey!” Kim beamed as I chose a beer from the cooler, easily twisting off the cap that should have needed a bottle opener. I didn’t plan on getting drunk, but I was used to drinking socially in London so I didn’t see any problems with having a few.

“Hey, Kim, Jared, Embry,” I said, laughing as I saw the last boy’s uncomfortable expression. “I’m guessing you got dragged here?”

He threw me a weak grimace and received a pat on the back from Quil, who had just surfaced from the large throng of people.

“Colie! Jake! You made it,” the boy panted happily.

“Hey, man,” Jake chuckled, taking a sip from his cup. I hadn’t seen him pour it and I wondered whether he’d spiked it or not. “You look like you're having a good time.”

“Yeah!” Quil’s eyes danced with excitement. “You should go dance, it’s awesome!” he said, nudging me a little.

I laughed and shook my head. “No, that’s okay. I only dance when I’m drunk.”

“Well…” Jared started but I sent him a glare.

“Don’t even think about it.”

He just chuckled as Kim took his hand, leading him off to join Quil on the dance floor again. It was a pretty amusing sight.

“It’s sad to think of what he’d be dancing like without his werewolf grace,” I mused as I leaned casually against the table next to Jake.

“It’s painful to even think about,” he agreed as we both watched the bulky boy shuffling around between his colleagues. “So you really don’t dance?” he asked, grinning slyly as he peered down at me over his cup.

I raised a brow. “Do you?”

He shrugged, still smiling. “Sometimes. It could be fun.”

“Yeah…” I said doubtfully as I wrinkled my nose.

“Please?” he said, a small and adorable pout tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“What, you want me to dance?” I asked, my heart jumping into my throat as my hands began to sweat.

“Yeah, I mean you're graceful by nature, it’s not like you can look bad.”

“Do I need to point out Quil again?” I chuckled, though he was rapidly convincing me that it might not be so bad after all. As long as he was there.

“Oh, come on, I have a hard time believing you're bad at it. And I’m really losing respect for London by the minute….”

My mouth fell ajar slightly.

“Oh, now you’ve done it,” I said, glaring as his smile widened triumphantly. “I’m going to need a bit more for this then,” I muttered, quickly grabbing the drink from Jake’s hand and downing it in one gulp, almost gagging as it passed my tongue.

“Holy mother of fuck,” I coughed as I tried to swallow the taste from my mouth. “How strong did you make that?”

“I’m a werewolf, it doesn’t really do anything,” he said, seeming in slight shock at my actions. “You good now?”

“Plenty,” I muttered, already feeling comfortably light headed and a lot more confident.

“Come on, then,” he said excitedly as he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the middle of the sweltering crowd, immediately finding Quil, Embry, Jared and Kim, who had also been joined by Paul and some other people from our class.

“Hey, girl, I thought you didn’t dance!” Quil shouted as I began moving my hips to the pulsing beat. It was impossible not to move with all the swaying that was going on around us and I quickly found myself sandwiched by my friends on all sides.

“Yeah, well thank Jake for that one,” I called, suddenly realizing that he was still there. I mean right there, pressed far too close for comfort with a dazzling smile gracing his features.

“See? You're a natural,” he breathed, quiet enough so only I heard it and I felt goose bumps form along my neck as my heart rate accelerated.

“Thanks,” I breathed back, deciding not to even try forming a coherent sentence.

The beat carried on as I swayed, dipped and twisted, my back still pressed closely against Jake’s warmth due to the crowded room. I began to wonder if our unintentional contact was as exhilarating for him as it was for me. Though I had only known him several days, the occasional brush of his skin against mine and the feel of his breath dancing over my neck sent my body tingling with a frenzy I’d never experienced. It was, for lack of a better word, intoxicating.

“I need some air,” I gasped after a good hour or so on the sweltering floor.

Jake nodded and followed me to the edge of the room where I finally breathed in some air that was slightly cooler.

“I’m going to duck into the loo real quick,” I said, ignoring his chuckle at my dialect and disappearing into the other room, the noise of the music immediately dulling.

I found the bathroom off the side of the kitchen and ran some cold water over my face and arms before taking several deep breaths and trying to clear my head of the fog Jacob had implanted into it. I could hardly think straight. I wondered how it was possible to be so attracted to someone in such a short amount of time.

I took another breath and unlocked the door, smiling politely at the girl waiting to enter after me. I glanced around, not really ready to head back into the madness quite yet.

“Lost?” I heard an amused voice from behind me. I turned to see a tall, lanky boy with the usual dark skin and hair of La Push, smiling at me with a polite expression.

“You're Colby, right? I’m Justin Hurley,” he said, holding out his free hand.

“Oh,” I replied awkwardly, shaking his hand lightly. “This is your house. I’m sorry, I don’t know if I was really invited, I mean I’ve never actually met you….”

“Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. “As long as you don’t break or steal anything you're welcome anytime.”

I chuckled, grinning appreciatively at his lighthearted nature. “Your home is safe with me. Though I’m not sure about those two over there,” I added, pointing to a pair of boys who seemed to be making ‘mystery smoothies’ in the blender on the counter, throwing in anything within arm’s reach from whole oranges to green olives to milk. The thought alone almost made me gag.

“Ey! Idiots! Get the fuck off the blender before you chop your fingers off!” he yelled across the room, sighing and shaking his head as the two guiltily dropped the thing in the trash can in their haste to avoid reprimanding.

“Real piece o’ work, eh?” he chuckled as he walked over and fished his blender out, running it under the sink and placing it carefully back in the cupboard.

I shook my head, smiling. “I don’t think I’d ever have the guts to throw a party at my house. I’d likely have a nervous breakdown or something.”

“After the first few plates you kinda get used to it,” he chuckled. There was a loud crash from outside and he swore under his breath. It certainly didn’t sound like a plate.

“I’d better be checking that out. It was great to finally meet you,” he said, grinning before he rushed from the room.

I shook my head, chuckling as I walked back into the living room in search of Jacob. I found him near the corner and—not much to my surprise—he wasn’t alone. I felt my stomach churning nervously as I approached him and the light haired girl who was running her fingers lightly along his arm.

“It’s actually a really clear night outside,” she said smoothly, a charming grin plastered on her face as she held a drink in her hand. “You should come see it, it’s beautiful.”

“I’m actually waiting for someone at the moment. Uh, maybe later,” he said, awkwardly scratching his neck.

“Hey, Jake,” I said casually as I came to stand next to him. “Cammie,” I added politely.

“Colby! There you are,” Jake breathed, his face lighting up in a relief that gave much satisfaction as I saw Cammie’s face draw into a light scowl.

“Yeah, sorry, I got tied up in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, with Justin,” Cammie replied, her voice velvety and dangerous. “Mucking around, I suppose.”

“Um, yeah…” I said sarcastically. “Excuse me for introducing myself to the host of the party I’m at.”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket and pulled it out to see ‘Cormac’ flashing across the screen. My dream came rushing back to me and I was flooded with a sudden curiosity.

“Shit, I’ve gotta take this, I’ll be right back,” I said, throwing Jake an apologetic look as I left him once more with his personal nightmare. I heard her voice chirping away as I quickly darted from the noisy room.

“How rude, I would never ditch you like that….”

The rest was drowned out as I stepped out into the cool night air and flipped my phone open.

“Hello?”

“Hey, babe. I never got a text back from you the other day,” he said, his husky voice as careless and suave as always, with no trace of the anger he’d held in my dream. I should have known better. My curiosity was immediately dropped and replaced with the annoyance and loathing from before.

“I miss you.”

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my face from twisting into a sneer.

“We’re not together anymore, Cormac. Remember? I’m not your babe.”

“Maybe not now, babe,” he replied, unfazed. “But once the distance is gone there’ll be no problem for us.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“We’ll find a way to work this out.”

I scoffed. “No we won’t, you don’t get it. It’s not just the distance, Cormac. We’re done. I don’t want to be with you anymore. I’m sorry but it’s over.”

“I wouldn’t say that so soon if I were you,” he said darkly and I frowned.

“What?”

“I know your secret, babe. Or did you forget that?”

I scoffed. “So? How is that going to help you? No one would believe you if you told them.”

“The Volturi might. I think they might be interested to know about the little half-breed that’s been running around Europe and the States right under their noses. Quite scandalous if you ask me,” he replied, his quiet voice laced with venom and warning.

I shook my head, barking a short laugh. “You couldn’t tell them anyway. They’d destroy you for even knowing about our world. Your information is useless.”

“Whatever you say, babe,” he said casually and then the line disconnected. I lowered the phone from my ear, staring at it and trying to figure out what had just happened.

I shook the thought from my head, quickly ducking back inside to find Jake still cornered with Cammie. I needed to get out of here.

“Oh, you're back,” she replied unpleasantly as I approached.

“Jake, can we go?” I asked quietly as I placed my hand on his arm.

“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning at my tense composure. I just nodded and he muttered a quick ‘see ya’ to the disgruntled girl before pulling me through the crowd and back to his car.

“Who was on the phone?” he asked as he pulled back out onto the road.

I shook my head absentmindedly. “Just my father wanting me home,” I lied effortlessly.

The rest of the ride was silent until he pulled up into my driveway.

“So, uh… this was really nice,” he said awkwardly as he fiddled with his hands on the wheel.

“Yeah,” I replied, smiling genuinely.

“And, uh, sorry for causing such a scene at the restaurant….”

“Don’t worry about it, Jake,” I assured him. “It’s already forgotten.”

“Okay,” he said, smiling gratefully. “So, um, did you still want to study tomorrow?”

“Oh, yeah,” I breathed, having completely forgotten. “Yeah, definitely. I’ll need all the help I can get.”

“Great,” he beamed. “Come over anytime. Just give me a call before you leave so I can be sure I’m awake.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

I climbed out of the car and walked briskly to the house as Jake pulled away, exhausted and already feeling a headache coming on. I opened the front door, throwing my bags on the couch and almost jumping from my skin as I noticed a dark figure sprawled on the couch.

“Atticus, what are you doing?” I breathed, clutching my chest.

“How was the party?” he asked, his tone as cold as always.

I eyed him for a moment. “Did you wait up for me?”

He narrowed his eyes and didn’t answer, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew something was up.

“Cormac called,” I said bluntly and his posture stiffened immediately.

“And?”

“He… threatened to tell the Volturi about me,” I whispered.

Atticus scoffed. “Idiot. They’ll rip him to shreds in a heartbeat,” he hissed, his cold golden eyes darkening.

“That’s what I said. He didn’t seem worried….” My head fell into my hands and I rubbed my throbbing temples gently.

Atticus shook his head, bending forward and scooping me into his arms as I let out a yelp of surprise.

“It’s fine, don’t worry over it. Get to sleep,” he ordered as he easily climbed the stairs and dropped my gently onto my bed. I glanced up at him, smiling faintly.

“Thanks, Attie.”

He just gave a curt nod and sauntered off down the hall to his room.

I sighed, nestling myself under the covers and falling asleep immediately without bothering to change out of my jeans. It seemed like years since I had woken up that morning, positive that my day was going to be great.

I wouldn’t deny that it was a good day, but it had also been possibly the most draining and action packed day I’d had in a long time. I wriggled on the bed, making myself more comfortable as I fell farther into unconsciousness, a small cough escaping my lips.