Blinded

I called Cara and told her about the hiking trips. She’s met Yvonne and Tyler before and knew their parents. Claro que si (I learned something in Spanish class!) she did because everyone knows everyone here in this rinky-dink town.

“I think it‘ll be fine,” Cara says. “Those two are responsible enough. Just stay close by them, okay? I know how adventurous you could get, but please, listen to me when I tell you not to leave their side, all right?”

“Okay, Cara,” I answered. Her telling me to listen to her made me think of when Jacob said that to me. “Thank you so much. Come home soon, please.”

“I will,” she replied. “We hear the wolves from here. Non ti preoccupare, you‘ll be fine.”

Dang, those wolves must be having a party. I wonder if they’re gathering for something that has to do with the moon or the weather or some other nature-type thing that animals sometimes relate to. I don’t know animal behaviors, I just know that my dog can sit, stay, beg, speak, and be my Seeing Eye dog. So ha.

I called Tyler after and when I told him Cara said yes he whooped and hollered like he did that day at school when they were going hiking that weekend. He was fun.

|-*-|

Tyler and Yvonne came over to pick me up with their mom the next day. They bought me a backpack with waters, granola bars, and brand new hiking boots. I thought it was too much, but they told me it was no big deal and I happily put on my new boots. I only hoped they wouldn’t hurt me since they were new.

When we reached the trail Yvonne cheerfully told me about all the sights as we began walking. I listened to her and the voice in the back of my head nagging me about not listening to Jacob, how he was going to be worried sick when he finds out that I did not listen to him and stay inside. I was reminded over and over about the creeptastic dream I had last night. This time the Cullens were in it and something strange happened to them in the sunlight, like they had crystals embedded in them and - as cheesy and wimpy as it sounds – they sparkled. Then the russet wolf appeared and began growling at them, nipping at their ankles, and trying to fight them. That redheaded woman appeared again as well and she bit me. Her bite left me burning, literally burning it seemed. What was freaky was it was related to the story Jacob told me about the Quileutes: The cold ones, the wolves, all of it seemed to fit.

Throughout the hiking trip the three of us talked. It was mostly about the surroundings. I asked them to describe everything. Yvonne was better at it; Tyler’s descriptions were vague: “There‘s another tree, another bush, more green, more moss. And a rock.” Yvonne was more detailed and I was silently freaking out at the fact that I really dreamed about this place.

“That tree right next to you has a hole at the bottom, like a tunnel,” Yvonne explains. “There‘s also moss . . . and is that blood?”

“What?” I squeak. Blood? Why was there blood on a tree?!

“It‘s a handprint, like a dark, crimson -” She stopped talking and I heard both of them stop moving. I asked her what was wrong and she explained: “I think I just saw a shirtless boy carrying a girl, just over yonder to our left.”

“Fantasizing about Taylor Lautner carrying you off into the distance again, are we?” Tyler teased and I heard a smacking sound. I would have giggled, but I couldn’t help but make the connection between a shirtless boy and Jacob. The guy was always shirtless so it made sense to think of him when a shirtless someone is mentioned. Dumb ragazzo, sempre a torso nudo. (Dumb boy, always shirtless and nude.)

Soon after we heard noises, like branches swaying and twigs being crushed beneath a great weight - but the strange thing is: I can only hear them. They must be too soft for the twins to hear, and as the noises got closer Yvonne claimed to have seen a redheaded girl. The only redheaded girl I could think of was the one from my dream so I was scared out of my pants.

“Do you hear a howl?” Tyler asked, and I nodded slowly. “I can‘t shake the feeling that we‘re being followed.”

“Me neither,” Yvonne and I say.

“Think we should head back and try tomorrow?” Tyler suggested. “I‘m not scared or anything, but you two seem-”A twig snapped. “What was that?!”

“Yeah, sure, you‘re not scared at all,” Yvonne said. “I guess we could try tomorrow. You don‘t mind going home, do you, Maria?”

I shook my head left to right. “Let‘s go. Tomorrow is totally fine.”

Needless to say, we were spooked enough to basically run back to the spot where Yvonne’s and Tyler’s mom dropped us off. We called her and asked her to pick us up due to possible wolf activity and she arrived in seconds. I remembered that she didn’t allow her children to go hiking one weekend because of the suspicious giant wolves roaming around these parts.

The next day they pick me up around the same time and we take the same trail. All three of us were relieved when we made it passed the part where we saw the blood and heard nothing, they saw nothing, and the supposed blood Yvonne saw was gone. Either that or it had dried and blended into the color of the wood. We told ourselves it was gone, that it was never there.

“Our birthday is coming up soon, you know,” Tyler says nonchalantly. “I‘m hoping that maybe someone of Italian nationality could maybe bake me a cake since she brags about how good she is at it.”

I laughed. “That someone of Italian nationality could possibly bake the twins a cake, but what kind?”

“I was thinking -”

A wolf’s cry was heard, and it tugged at the heart strings. It sounded heartbroken and sad, like it was hurt, and like it was ready to give up any moment. Something in me hurt as well; it was like I felt its pain and I part of me deep down wanted to cry.

“Holy crap I just saw a wolf!” Tyler announced. “Dude, that thing looked like a frickin bear it was so huge!”

“Was it a reddish brown color?” I asked quietly, but they still heard me.

“Yeah, it was,” Tyler answered, and I could tell he was shocked to know I was right. “How in the world did you know that?”

“I just knew,” I breathed. I was frozen. It could not just be coincidental; me dreaming about a russet wolf and Tyler seeing one run by could not just be coincidental in the slightest.

Yvonne yelped. “Who are you?” she asked someone.

“You won‘t be much use if I awaken you now,” a woman said. Yvonne and Tyler gasped and I suddenly felt a slight breeze as the woman got right in front of me. I could smell that same sweet scent I always smell when near Alice or Edward. “But a light snack wouldn‘t hurt.”

I knew what she was talking about, and I knew who she was. When I felt her cold grip the only thing I could whisper is: “Tyler, Yvonne, run.”

A growl crashed through the trees and the cold grip left my arm and was replaced by the feel of familiar fur, fur that I felt in another world, the world of my dreams. It was warm, very warm, like I was standing next to the sun. I felt the rumble of the deep growl coming from underneath my hand. I could barely hear the pitter patter of feet running away. I was glad they were out of this, and I knew they would be safe once they left.

The fur left my hands and I heard leaves, twigs, and bushes rustling around. I could imagine the battle going on perfectly: The wolf would almost get her in his jaws (I would hear the teeth clenching together when he snapped his mouth shut) and she would dodge, only to shove him into a tree or a rock, and I would hear his whimper. Not long after that I felt fur brush by me again and again. I could only assume it was more wolves because the battle was moving off into the distance.

“Mariabella, are you okay?” Sam asked. I jumped. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“N-n-no,” I answered hesitantly. “Where‘d you come from?”

“I think Jacob will explain shortly,” Sam answered and I heard footsteps step in front of me. “Jacob, where‘d she go?”

“Jacob?” I whispered as I reach my hand out. I was scared and the only thing I felt that could comfort me was him at this point.

The only thing to touch my outstretched hand was a wet nose, one that I have felt before, and I reached up to feel more fur. My hand reached what felt like the cheek, just below the eye, and it suddenly became smooth skin. My jaw dropped when I felt a hand touch my hand, the one that was now touching a warm cheek instead of warm fur. I felt Jacob’s jaw move as he spoke: “Mariabella, if it wasn‘t already obvious, I have something to tell you.”

I fainted from just experiencing a dream come true: I met the russet wolf out here in the forest, and it turned into Jacob.