Hide & Seek

Emmaleigha sat across from me, nursing a mug of her famous hot chocolate. I couldn't look at her. The cup of hot chocolate that she had given me had not been touched; just simply as a thing to warm my numb hands. There was a silence between us, one that I wish I knew how to break without completely losing it.

Two of the wolves were guarding the house outside on the edge of the forest. I faintly remember Artemis barking an order to Jason and Devin (the twins) to keep watch on the house.

Ha, barking. I couldn't help the snort of laughter that came out at that; it caused Emmaleigha to look up in surprise. Immediately, I looked back down. Even though I couldn't see it, I felt the hurt look she was giving me. Much to my displeasure, she took my hand in hers, softly holding it.

"Your mother will be fine, Copper, sweetie."

I looked up at her, finally, rage seeping through my eyes at her; I snatched my hand away Tate, who was standing in the corner of the room, froze, but suddenly began to shake at the way I was treating her mother. Well, Tate can go screw herself for all I care.

"My mom's going to be fine? No, fine is where she's going to be drinking her favorite bottle of wine every June 5th in honor of her anniversary and divorce. Fine, is where I'll wake up at three in the morning and listen to her typing out a new chapter to her book. Fine is where she's going to have a beating heart, the next time I hug her, and she's not going to try to suck me dry!"

I stood angrily, pushing my chair onto the floor. Emmaleigha looked down in defeat. Tate continued to shake, her fists clenched as she stared at me with wicked eyes. I stared back, a sneer on my face.

"I'm leaving," I said as if it were the most final decision in my life. When Tate went to disagree with me, I simply gave her my pretty middle finger and walked out. I heard her anger yells and Emmeleigha calming her. The twins, Jason and Devin, followed me like two annoying flies. I simply ignored them, going off farther into the woods before I simply gave out and screamed bloody murder.

I was more furious that anything at the moment. They had the guts to take me away from my mother. Newborn vampire or not, she was my fucking mother. Is this how mother bears feel when their cubs are threatened? It sure felt like it.

Jason and Devin kept their distance before one of them, I think Jason, crept up behind me in his hastily put on cut off shorts. I spun around when I heard his foot break a twig, my eyes wide and my hair flying every which way.

"What! What could you possibly what?" I screamed, grabbing the first thing i could find and throwing it at him. The rock simply bounced off his chest and fell to the ground. That made me even angrier. I picked up another rock, and another, and when I ran out of those, I started with sticks. He simply flicked them out of the way; I got closer the more I threw things.

Finally, when I was face to chest with him, I balled up my already white and shaking fist, and took a swing at him.

I heard a crack, but it wasn't from him. I screamed again, this time in pain as I held my fist to my chest. He hurried tried to see how much damage I had done, apologizing for letting me get that far. I simply pushed him away and nursed my had more. Damn that hurt. What was he made of, steel? Now that I thought about it probably.

There was the steady thud of paws on earth, and I looked up suddenly at the dark colored wolf. He growled at Devin, still in wolf form, and Jason who was trying to get me to let him see my hand. From the wolf sprung Arty, butt naked as the day his momma pushed him out from between her legs.

I looked from the ground to the sky, instantly feeling uncomfortable by the giant wolf standing ten feet away, the half naked could-be wrestler standing beside me, and the nude werewolf-boy walking my way. God, what had I gotten myself into? Why hadn't I agreed on moving to Poland, or Switzerland, or one of those other -lands? I'd find a cute European boy with a nice accent and he wouldn't be a werewolf or a vampire.

"What'd you do?" Artemis growled once he was beside me. I kept my eyes up, still clutching my fist to my chest. He was able to pry it away, growling again at the broken bones that I hissed at.

"She hit me," Jason barely got out, not happy that he had upset his Alpha. Arty growled more, but was gentle when he held my hand.

"I can get mom to set the bones back," he mumbled, tugging me in Jason's direction. "Get her back inside and make sure she stays there."

I shook with my own fury. Spinning around, I finally let it lose.

"No!"

Artemis stopped and turned around slowly to watch me as I stomped up to him.

"I will not stay inside. I will not just sit back and wait for your bitch fight to be over with. And I sure as hell will not follow your orders!"

Artemis growled, towering over me with his impressive height. Jason and Devin just stood in the background, and I could hear a few other paws pad up to the sight. We were starting a scene, but I didn't care.

"I am not some lowly being that you can order around, Artemis! I'm not a wolf, I'm human. I make my own decisions. I do as I please. I don't follow people like you." I spat out the last part, my body growing hot from the anger that coursed through my veins.

"You're cute when you're angry," he chuckled; I stared at him in disbelief. Did he just say what I think he just said? I looked cute when I was angry?!

"I'll see you in a little while, Copper," he mumbled before kissing me.

The rest of that time was just a blur. My skin felt warm from where he had kissed me, and not so much in a good way. I had made a swing to hit him, but missed horribly. He was already transformed and half way across the forest by now.

Emmaleigha quickly set my fingers - I hissed at the feel of them being put back into place - before wrapping them quickly and handing me a few painkillers.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, finally drinking some of the hot cocoa she had made. Emmaleigha smiled.

"It's alright, Copper. I understand." And we left it at that. She ended up cooking a nice meal - the other wolves coming around to grab a bite before taking off again. Nicole stayed longer than the others, chatting to me even though I barely said a thing. I didn't eat much either.

By midnight, Emmaleigha had gone to bed and I was stuck downstairs on the couch, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, as I stared out the front window. A streetlight flickered every seven and a half minutes, and by one o'clock, it had begun to snow. I moved from inside to out, sitting on the swing on the front porch.

"They got into Canada," I heard Arty's voice from a ways away. Looking in the direction he was walking from, I could see Gunner beside him. Even though Gunner was much bigger than Arty, Arty had the nature of an Alpha - but I knew Gunner made a wonderful Beta.

"Artemis," Gunner gained his Alpha's attention, and he looked up now noticing me.

"See you in the morning, Gun," he said, before nodding Gunner away an continued walking in my direction. He wore only his cut off shorts, and I was wrapped up tight, freezing. He stood in front of me before sitting down on the swing and instantly his warmth surrounded me. No matter how much I fought it, I ended up wrapped in his arms trying to stay warm.

I should have just gone back inside, but it felt kind of... nice.

"Sorry about earlier," he mumbled.

"Don't mention it," i mumbled back.

"I... don't know what overcame me," he started again. "I think I was just, so angry about what they did to your mom that I wasn't myself."

"You let the wolf take over."

"Yeah."

Suddenly, I stood and shivered at the sudden cold. "We tried, Copper," he stood beside me. His warmth radiated to my skin. "We were going to get our mom back and--"

"And what, kill her?" I sneered, my anger returning. "She's a vampire now. You were going to kill her, but you were going to blame it on the Cullens. I know what you're thinking, Artemis. She's a threat to you and the rest of the tribe as a newborn, just as Bella was a hundred years ago. Don't lie to me."

And then I walked away, back inside, laying on the couch and facing the back of the couch. I didn't fall asleep. I simply laid there, silently crying as I waited for something good to happen.

The only thing good that came was Emmaleigha waking up and make french toast.

The rest of the week was spent in agony.