Ash Over Seas

I lay, curled on the ground, trembling violently as the snarls nearly shattered my eardrums.

Then they suddenly stilled, and all that could be heard was the lingering trill of a low warning rumbling through a large chest.

I gathered every ounce of courage I had and raised my head to peer around me.

Through the pale light of the moon filtering through the trees, my eyes were able to distinguish the outline of a large creature on all fours. A wolf. A shape shifter. My heart immediately accelerated once more, only this time there was an ounce of hope.

“Jake?” I called out timidly, my voice barely breaching a whisper. How I prayed that it was him; that he would tell me everything was going to be okay. But the ache in my chest didn’t ease and the wolf made no move to approach me.

A soft growl rumbled in the creature’s throat and it flicked its nose upward, indicating for me to stand. I took a moment to steady myself as I pushed my weak legs against the ground. I stumbled a little while catching my balance, but the wolf did nothing to aid me as its onyx eyes stared patiently. Its intelligent gaze roamed over my weak frame, expression unreadable as it waited for me to pull myself together.

“Who are you?” I whispered shakily.

The animal gave no response as it abruptly turned and dashed into the woods.

A small and hopeless cry flew from my lips, as all I wanted to do was fall back to the ground, but I knew I had to follow it. I lurched forward, pushing my exhausted legs onward as I stumbled the beast to the best of my ability.

Once more, I found myself weaving through the trees, braches leaving tiny gashes along my frame as I tried to keep the creature in view.

“Slow down!” I gasped after it, feeling drained already, but it just barked angrily and pushed faster.

Eventually I noticed that I was gaining on it, closing the gap quickly and approaching the wolf once more. It turned back to me, eyes flashing with warning and I slowed my pace, leveling my breathing as I silently closed the final distance to it.

When I finally reached its side, it turned its head forward to gaze at something on the forest floor. I followed to where it was looking and gasped at the sight. The wolf growled lowly, the sound rolling off its tongue and filling my ears.

A pale man, not much taller than I was, was crouched low over the body of a doe, blood trickling menacingly down his chin. His skin shimmered softly in the moonlight and as he looked up I observed that the planes of his face were beautiful, as if carved by marble. This man was most certainly a vampire.

What startled me, though, was the color of his eyes. They were a soft chocolate brown, rather than the liquid gold of most vampires. My hand instinctively reached to touch the corner of my own navy blue eyes as they locked with his. Was he like me?

My thoughts scattered as I was immediately stabbed with a sharp pang of terror, though I didn’t know where it came from and the man backed slowly into the forest, his eyes not breaking from mine until he disappeared and fled into the darkness.

Goose bumps ran over my body and my arms gripped each other in search of comfort. I whimpered and glanced next to me to find that the wolf was nowhere in sight. I turned in panic, my eyes searching for any indication of where it might have gone but there was nothing. It was just me, alone, in the middle of the forest as the doe’s body lay broken and bloody next to me.

I was alone.

A gasp flew from my mouth as I jolted up in bed, my hands gripping the sheets on either side of me. I jumped again and nearly screamed as I saw a tall, pale figure looming over me.

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

“You were screaming,” he muttered, his eyes distant as he handed me a cold washcloth.

“Thanks,” I muttered quietly as I dabbed it over my forehead. “Was it loud?”

He shrugged. “Maybe not to a normal person. What was it?”

I sighed, launching into a recap of my dream as he stood patiently beside me. Though his face was a carefully constructed mask of indifference, I could vaguely see the taut lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He was nervous, even if he would never admit it.

“So does this mean you’ve been feeling worse?” he asked acidly. “You told me you were feeling better.”

I shook my head. “I was,” I muttered.

Alice Cullen sighed as she slid into Carlisle’s black Mercedes and revved the engine. She placed the bag of blood on the seat next to her, tucked away through many layers of sweaters and boxes, though it hardly helped contain the delicious smell. But Alice knew she wouldn’t be tempted; she was on a strict delivery mission today.

She sped through the winding roads of Forks that she’d had memorized for years, and quickly approached the crisp white house belonging to Henry Woodbury.

As she stepped out of the car, heels clicking on the pavement of the driveway, she noticed Henry’s car was absent, and her hearing was unable to pick up on any voices in the house.

Frowning, she stepped up to the door, which was unlocked and opened easily.

She heard the shower running upstairs and decided she would go there first.

She clicked into the kitchen, quickly opening the refrigerator and placing the bags in a drawer on the side before closing it and turning toward the living room.

A small cry was heard from upstairs, followed by a thud and Alice was across the house in an instant, flinging the door open and pulling back the curtains to see the thin, raven-haired girl sprawled on the floor, weeping softly as the water pattered around her.

“Colby!” the vampire cried as she lifted the girl’s shoulders up.

Colby looked up in surprise as Alice’s concerned face hovered over her.

“Colby, are you all right?”

“Alice?”

“Here, get up, get up. What’s going on?” she demanded softly as the girl seemed to pull herself together.

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” she muttered ashamedly, quickly wiping her red eyes as she tried to stand. The water masked any tearstains, but the red rims left nothing to the imagination. “What are you doing here?”

“What happened?” Alice asked, ignoring the question as she helped wrap a towel around the girl’s—admittedly too thin—frame.

Colby glanced at the compassionate vampire and seemed to be debating whether or not to say anything. She finally seemed to break and let out a quiet sniffle.

“It’s just everything… Jake mostly. I don’t know, I mean I’m sure you’ve heard….”

“Oh, sweetie,” Alice said as she wrapped the tall girl in her arms comfortingly. “Anyone would have a right to cry over something like that. It’s devastating, don’t be ashamed.”

Colby merely nodded as her frame softened against Alice’s.

“He really cares about you a lot,” the pretty vampire murmured, not knowing whether or not it would help. “He was over the other day demanding to know where you were… Edward said he’s very upset… I think it’s paining him that you haven’t talked. Maybe you should….”

“I already have,” she whispered. “I told him we couldn’t be together but he won’t let go and it’s actually hurting me too.”

“That’s the imprinting. It’s not going to go away,” Alice grimaced. “But we really need to get you dressed now.”

“What for?” Colby murmured as she pulled away.

“I’m here to drop off some packets for you and to take you to Carlisle’s.”

“Carlisle’s?”

Alice frowned. “Didn’t Henry tell you? Where is he and why are you alone?”

“I slept really late and he was leaving to take Ari and Pan to get groceries or something,” she muttered.

“And your brother?”

“Went running as soon as I was up; he was very angry.”

She scoffed lightly and shook her head as she grasped the Colby’s wrist and pulled her back to her room. “You shouldn’t be anywhere alone these days. Now get dressed, Carlisle wants to examine you today.”

Colby seemed to tense slightly. “Is this the… sampling?” she gulped.

Alice sighed and nodded. “Carlisle is the best there is, though. He wouldn’t put you through this if he didn’t think it would help.”

Colby nodded determinedly and finished getting dressed, allowing Alice to pull clothes onto her frame and shove food in her hands before pulling her back out to the car.

“They’ll meet us there. Carlisle is calling Henry as we speak.”

“Okay,” Colby mumbled through a mouthful of banana smoothie as the Mercedes once again raced through the streets of the tiny Washington town.

As soon as we’d arrived it had been all business.

I sat—heart beating frantically—on the leather-lined table set up in Carlisle’s office. The thick straps resting on either side of me did nothing to ease my nerves. My father paced anxiously in the corner of the room, waiting for Carlisle to begin as Jasper did his best to calm the atmosphere around us. He couldn’t do much, though, because he couldn’t risk compromising Carlisle’s concentration. I fiddled with the frayed edge of the hospital gown I was wearing, shivering as a draft passed over my exposed back. My stomach churned nervously and I knew it was going to be painful but all I could think of was Jacob’s warm smile and loving embrace as the world spun around me.

“Colby,” the doctor’s soft voice spoke and my head immediately snapped up to lock with his soothing topaz eyes. In his hands he held a thick needle, longer than any I’d ever seen as he held it out in front of me.

“I want you to know everything that’s going to happen here, okay?”

I nodded, trying to mask my fear. “Is that going to work?” I gulped. “I mean my skin is pretty tough.”

Carlisle smiled softly. “Yes, I figured that, which is why I had to get this custom made. Very tricky explaining to a manufacturer why you would need a titanium needle, but I was able to get a hold of this one. This must go well.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Okay. So I’m going to insert this into the back of your pelvic bone, and draw the marrow from there. It shouldn’t take too long but you cannot move, do you understand?” his tone was gentle yet warning and I nodded.

“Okay. Let’s begin,” he instructed and I carefully lay down on my stomach, shivering as his cold hands positioned the gown so that a small section of my lower back was exposed. The area had been numbed slightly earlier but I could still vaguely feel his hands probing around for the proper spot. I heard a door slam open downstairs but it didn’t seem to faze Carlisle in the slightest. He gently strapped the restraints around my wrists and ankles and I flexed my fingers nervously. I wished so badly that I had Jacob’s scorching hand to squeeze and fought back the tears threatening to form.

“Ready?” he murmured quietly and I held my breath, my fists gripping the sheet beneath me for dear life.

I let out a cry of pain as I felt the needle press against my skin and finally break the tough surface and my mind flooded with images of his face. The pain was more of an ache as the needle pushed through my tissues, finally making home in my pelvic area. Carlisle swiftly began to draw the needle back, filling the syringe with the thick, red liquid, not even flinching as a large crash sounded downstairs, followed by muffled angry voices shouting at one another. The pain was too severe for me to pay attention to any of them.

I clenched my eyes shut, praying for it to end soon but opened them once more, as the voices grew louder still and I became slightly curious. I was able to distinguish one line.

“I know she’s fucking in here! I can smell it!”

My stomach dropped through the floorboards and soared through the ceiling as the voice resounded in my ears.

“Jacob,” I whispered as my vision blurred slightly from the pain.

“What is going on?” my father growled as he took several steps toward the door and Carlisle swiftly withdrew the needle, holding it up to the light. I collapsed against the table in relief, hardly able to comprehend that large footfalls were making their way in our direction.

“He’s furious,” Jasper said gravely.

“Henry, you might be best to keep the door shut,” Carlisle said as he hastily bandaged my lower back. One arm was freed from restraints and I tried to push myself to a sitting position as my father strode to the door, his brow creasing in confusion, but he didn’t reach it in time.

The next thing I knew, the door had flung open and Jacob Black’s quivering frame stormed into the room, halting abruptly at the sight in front of him.

“Jacob,” I repeated, my voice a broken whisper.

His eyes flew wide as they locked on my weak frame, holding myself up with one arm, as the other remained chained to the table. Carlisle was too preoccupied with calming Jake’s anger to fully unstrap me.

The shape shifter’s gaze swiveled to the large, blood-filled needle resting by Carlisle’s hands and a furious snarl ripped from his throat, as his eyes grew wild.

This wasn’t Jake anymore; I didn’t know this person. And it terrified me.

His hands and body began trembling violently and he was torn from the room by several Cullens as I watched in horror. I could hear his furious snarls as they tried to keep him at bay and then the slamming of another door resounded through the walls as he finally fled into the forest, no doubt exploding into his wolf form before he’d even hit the snowy ground.