Hold up My Heart

Karina's blank gaze which set into my view gave me the least bit of an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I knew how freaked out she would be, but I hadn't quite prepared myself for it. I'd explained everything, in minor details so it wouldn't freak her out beyond reason. Her reaction was still the same, just as I had pictured it. I didn't like it.

She seemed fine at first, until I began to get into detail about how Jacob and Embry had found the scent to be more intriguing after they'd put thought into it. After telling her my conclusion, Kari sat there across from me with her hands clenched together, and her small figure shaking momentarily.

“Kari?” I waved my hand in front of her while saying her name with slight hesitance.

Karina blinked, grinding her teeth together. “What's going to happen?” I could only shrug, not even I – the target of this whole mess, knew what was going to happen, or what my fate was now.

“All we can do it wait,” I tried to sound reassuring, but I couldn't even fool myself. I took a sip of my coffee before moving on. “Sam wants all of the imprints and pack members at his house later for a bonfire and cookout, are you in?”

Karina smile, though I could tell it was slightly faked, “Yeah, of course; as long as we can spend your last moments together...”

“Kari!” I snapped, my hand slamming down on the table. I shook my head slowly, I could see the glaze of liquid blocking my vision with one blurring motion. “You can't think like that, especially now, when not even I am sure of what the fuck is going to happen,”

“I'm sorry,” She whispered, wiping a stray tear that had fallen down her face. “I just... I don't know what the hell I would do if I lost you, Ara,”

I sniffled, pulling myself away from the table and walking over to Karina, where I bent down and wrapped my arms around her. “You won't lost me, Kari, I promise,” I kissed the top of her head, praying to God that I could keep that promise.

~

Arriving fifteen minutes later, I began to feel uneasy once I was out of the car and heading towards the yard, which was surrounded by the forests' big green trees and wild animals lurking quietly. But I wasn't frightened over the darkness in the forest or the animals only innocent. The warning of some vampire who was tracking me right now, that could be planning out his retrieval, that is what I was scared about.

Karina caught up to me and grabbed my hand and when I looked up she smiled at me, “Lighten up, let's just have some fun,” Kari winked before a squeal came out of her mouth as she was grabbed around the waist and lifted onto someone's shoulders – Embry's.

I smiled at those two who seemed to be inevitably in love. My smile soon began to drift off as I walked to the patio where everyone was currently settled. I took in each person's looks and who they could possibly be. The boys who had their arms around a few girls, instantly shook me as who they were; the imprints. I'd met Kim once, but she was the only one that I recognized. Shifting my weight I looked down and held onto my arm.

“You're here,” His deep husky voice said from behind me. I bit my lip as I tried to resist the urge to tackle Jacob to the ground and take him for myself. As I turned around he placed his hands on my hips, smiling down as me as I looked into his deep dark brown eyes.

I smirked, “And why wouldn't I be?” Jacob only shrugged as he bent down to kiss my cheek with his soft absorbent lips.

“Food!” I heard Seth and two other boys yell, I turned my head and laughed as everyone charged for the table that had food neatly placed all around by Emily. Jacob dragged me over, I only got a hot dog and a few chips with a water, Karina did the same as did most of the other girls. My eyes went wide – as did the others, as we watched the wolves stack food on top of each other on one, maybe two plates.

Once everyone had sat down, Sam began to tell the stories of the Quileute legends, familiar stories that I had heard when I was younger. I shook the bad memories and emptiness out of my mind and listened as Sam explained about the Cold Ones, and how they were the reasons for wolves to begin to exist. I could almost speak word for word and speak at the same speed that Sam was speaking; like I had said, these stories were so familiar to me, listening to them every weekend for fun with Jacob's father Billy, they never got old. Once Sam had finished the stories, the ones who were knew to this whole thing, began to speak radically, talking of how interesting and cool all of that must be. I rolled my eyes, just because of their reactions being so original.

Once it had started to get a bit darker, everyone had somehow gotten themselves around the bonfire, so we had made a perfect circle; each imprint sitting next to, or on the lap of, their soul mate. Emily and Sam came out a few minutes later after cleaning up everything, and in Emily's hand she held a guitar. I smiled at her as the two sat down. I could definitely remember singing songs with Jacob, his father, sisters, and his mother, while his mother actually played the guitar.

“Well,” Emily said with a smile, “Shall we sing some songs?” Everyone chuckled at the cliché particle in this type of bonfire, but nonetheless most agreed. And minutes later, Emily began to strum the guitar, and once I heard the beat, I instantly recognized the song and looked up at Jacob and smiled as I remembered the memory of the time we'd sang this together.

”Well I heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?” Emily's voice was dramatically beautiful, I didn't think that I could compare, but when Jacob shoved me gently, gesturing me to sing I grimaced.

“Well it goes like this:
The fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah” I felt the butterflies go haywire in my stomach as everyone turned to look at me. Emily looked at me with a sparkle in her eye and smiled, before nodding her head, signaling that we sing together.

“Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.”

Things then began to fade in and out as the song finished up and others were sung with almost the whole group of us. Things slowed down, and I wasn't sure if it was everyone, or if it was just me. I felt my arms go numb instantly as I saw something through the corner of my eye. My heart began to pound like it was only minutes away from stopping. The slow motion only continued as I slowly lift my hand and brought it to hold onto Jacob's. I wish I had been able to open mouth mouth and speak those three words to him before it all happened.

I remember hearing screams from all around me, looking up I saw every imprint running towards the house while the boys ran towards the trees and transformed. I sat there still for not even a second before I felt an ice cold chill run down my spine. And then two cold hands wrapped around my body just before something hard hit my head with one single pound, and all I could see was the darkness enclosing itself around me.