Hold up My Heart

Only three weeks had gone by and I was getting through nicely; the hardest part was refusing the urges that I held within my mind. I knew I didn't want these drugs, and I'd been getting myself to use much less of cigarettes lately, too, but not even that need could be withdrawn.

I'd oddly enough let myself get closer to Jacob again, but I didn't want to. It's like something was holding me back from actually loving him again, and it was obviously the trust that he'd lost and was trying to regain. Jacob had taken me out every Friday night; to dinner, a movie, and last week he had taken me to a carnival that was in town and he won me a stuffed animal that I now slept with ever night, - how childish.

But again, I tried to keep myself distant from Jacob and his sweet talks and charms, but at the end of the day, I couldn't help but fall for him again. They were small steps towards loving him, but those steps got closer and closer each other that we were together. And that was everyday, considering the fact that Kari wanted to spend time with Embry – unless the guys were out on patrol, which was done mostly at night for those two.

I sighed as I let my mind wander aimlessly while I stared at the dark ceiling, though it was pointless, as I lied comfortably in my bed, the darkness of my room not affecting me the slightest. The brightness from the moon only held a small glimpse through my window, but it wasn't enough somehow.

My mind began to fade, the dark circles entrancing me with time; the sounds outside becoming silence to my ears, like peaceful ringings going off soundlessly as I began to fade into comfortable darkness.

I knew I was asleep within minutes, the exhaustion overtaking my body with a small amount of time, but somehow, I was still awake, my senses weak, though. There was complete silence, my whole body was numb, I was helpless when I felt a cool breeze rush against my face.

I didn't have the window open when I fell asleep.

I flinched in my sleep, of course this just had to be a dream, I was dreaming, it'd be too insulting if I believed that I was awake yet numb from the outside world that was awake.

My body froze but acted as if I had not noticed anything, all when a cold, ice cold hand, touched my face so lightly I could almost feel nothing, but I knew I felt something. It was like pure ice right out of the cold, but then I felt fingers began to trace my cheek gently. I heard the light breaths near my ear, but it was hardly noticeable.

Something was in my room with me, something oddly too cold to be human. But then again, this was only an odd dream that I'd wake up from sooner or later...

~

“Arabella Marie Nelson,” a girlish shriek woke me up. “Get your ass out of bed, Jake and Embry will be here in less then two minutes!” My eyes snapped open as I rolled off the bed.

“Shit,” I muttered as I rubbed my head from hitting the ground with a hard thud. Karina pulled me up to my feet and through an outfit in my arms.

“Change, get ready, come on now!” She piped with an over-exaggerate smile. I flicked her off just as she left the room and stripped down into my bra and underwear, and then quickly hopping into the outfit picked out by Karina. I heard Embry's truck pull into the driveway and two doors open and close, and rushed a brush through my hair and lightly put on some make-up.

“Arabella!” I heard Karina yell from the stairs.

“I'm coming!” I hollered back at her as I ran down the stairs. When the doorbell rang, Karina rushed over and yanked it open. Once the boys were inside, something didn't seem right, at all. Both of their faces were full of disgust, surprise, and a need to protect. “Jake?” I said, trying to get his attention.

“Someone was here,” Jacob said as Embry growled and sniffed the air. I couldn't help but to smirk at their actions. “Stay here,” Jacob whispered to me before he kissed my forehead and ran upstairs with Embry.

Karina, looking shocked, turned to me and asked, “What the hell was that?”

I shrugged, having no right answer to that, “Don't ask me.” Before we could move towards the stairs to call up and ask what they were doing, the boys had literally leaped down the stairs and grabbed us both and rushed us to the truck. “What the hell is going on, Jacob?” I asked with worry.

“There was a vampire in the house. In your room,” Jacob looked straight at me; his eyes were full of pain and loss, confusion overtaking his face, but quickly returning to a straight emotionless face. Embry stepped on the gas pedal and stormed out of our neighborhood and towards Emily and Sam's place.

“Wh – what do you mean there was a vampire in my room?” I stuttered out with fear. Jacob turned around to face me, taking my hand in his. He didn't say anything to me, he only opened his phone and dialed Sam's number and filled him in on this new information.

We arrived at Sam and Emily's place in five minutes tops, and were taken into their place quickly, as if we were running from something...

“Jake, she smells just like them,” Jared complained as he looked at me and took another whiff.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked with anger. A vampire wasn't in my room, nor did I smell like one.

“She does...” Jacob growled over-protectively. “Arabella, where were you last night?”

“We stayed home, Jacob,” Karina answered honestly for me. “All we did was watch movies until we both passed out in our rooms.”

“Obviously the vampire came while they were asleep,” Paul put together, joining in on the investigation.

“But why would they leave her alive?” Emily asked with worry.

Sam sighed, he wasn't so sure. “It's possible that she's wanted for something other than to be used to feed on,”

“Then why did they keep Karina alive?” Embry growled at Quil's countering question.

“Dammit, I don't know that right now,” Sam said through his teeth. “All that I know is that patrols will be doubled, and the girls will stay here, until we find this vampire,”

Jacob interrupted, “Ara will stay with me, Sam,” Sam only nodded and agreed, along with Embry, who would keep Karina with him as well.

I couldn't even keep up with what was going on. I could only comprehend with minimal things at a time, and this sure as hell was more than a minimal amount of information being shoved down my throat. All that I could understand was that there was a vampire in my room last night while I was asleep, and when I made that connection more clearly, I gasped.

“Ara, what is it?” Jacob asked as he cupped my face in his large warm hands.

I blinked, “I remember last night,” I said. “I was asleep, but I could feel something cold on my face, and I figured it were fingers; but I thought it was only a dream,”

“Ara,”

I looked up at Jacob with worry and fear in my eyes; I'd never felt something this strong before. I could only think about what I was needing to do to numb my fear, but knowing that I couldn't anymore... “Jacob what's going on?”

“Ara,” He sighed, “We're taking action now; someone is after you, and we're going to make sure that it's dead before he lays a finger on you.”