Brave This Storm

Mariana folded her arms over her chest as she walked quickly through the trees, hugging her body to keep the warmth in. The early of the hours of the morning were still blindingly dark and bitterly cold, and Mariana’s lack of knowledge of the forest did not help her rising paranoia. Every noise sounding around her made her flinch or jump, and she didn’t know if she was making those sounds with her own feet or not.

Twigs snapping.
Stones kicked.
Dirt shuffling.

She just couldn’t tell. But she didn’t dare turn back around to head back to the party. The humiliation and anger coursing through her blood from Paul’s betrayal fuelled her power-walking. Mariana had never felt more embarrassed or hurt in her life, and that was saying something. She was never going to forgive him. Never.

“FUCK!”

Mariana stubbed her toe harshly on a rock. Pain immediately shot up her foot and she whimpered, stopping her walk to crouch down and touch her foot. She whimpered again when she felt liquid on her fingers. Blood. Just what she needed.

“Fucking Paul. Fucking Paul cheating on me with a barely fucking legal girl and humiliating me. Fucking Paul for making me run away into this fucking forest where I don’t know the fucking way home. Fucking Paul!” Mariana grumbled.

With a grunt, she stood up, wiping the blood off her hand onto her jeans. But before she could move, she heard a series of twigs snap. Now she knew that wasn’t her.

“Who’s there?” she called out, her voice cracking slightly.

No answer.

“I know you’re out there, I heard you!” Mariana called again.

No answer. Mariana swallowed heavily and started to walk quickly once more, her walking getting quicker and quicker, until she was running. Blind fear was now fuelling her, not anger. But as a cold hand came down on her shoulder, Mariana shrieked and batted it away, spinning around only to fall over and hit her head on something solid. As a warm liquid trickled down her skull, her vision blurred and started to fade, a shadow fell over her body. Mariana curled up into a ball, covering her head.

“Don’t hurt me. Pl-Please don’t hurt me,” she begged, squeezing her eyes tight.

The cold hand clamped down on her shoulder once more as her world turned black.

*

“YOU ARE AN IDIOT! A COMPLETE AND UTTER IDIOT!” Jacob roared, shoving Paul hard in the chest.

“Don’t start on me, Black,” Paul growled.

“Don’t start on you?! You just cheated on the best woman to ever come into your life! You ruined the one good thing you had going for you. You lost your imprint!” Jacob exasperated angrily.

“You don’t think I don’t know that? You don’t think I don’t know what I’ve fucking lost? I can’t turn back time! I can’t erase that fucking mistake!”

“Then why the fuck did you kiss that slut in the first place?” Jacob spat.

“I couldn’t help it. I’m drunk and horny and she came onto me. Mariana will never forgive me and I will never forgive myself. But I can’t take it back, no matter how much I want to,” Paul muttered.

Jacob gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, ready to knock some sense into the hot-headed horny werewolf, when Jared, Kim, Embry, Quil, Seth and Leah walked into the kitchen.

“We heard you two yelling at each other. What’s going on?” Jared frowned.

“This twat cheated on Mariana and we saw and she ran away,” Jacob growled.

“You what?!” Embry gasped.

“Don’t fucking start!” Paul yelled.

Jacob just scowled and shook his head, before turning to look at Paul.

“Sober him up. I’m going to find Mariana,” Jacob said angrily.

Jared just nodded, turning to face Paul while Kim poured him a glass of water. Without another word, Jacob left the house through the back door that Mariana had left through, jogging towards the forest that bordered the house.

“Mariana? Mariana, where are you?” Jacob called.

No answer. Jacob huffed and walked a little faster, trying to catch her scent.

“Found your scent. Come on, Mariana,” Jacob mumbled to himself.

Jacob kept walking quickly, trying desperately to find the angry girl in case she did anything stupid before she could calm down. Not that Paul didn’t deserve the anger, especially after what he did, but Mariana shouldn’t endanger herself with her rage. Jacob kept walking, further and further into the dark forest, not liking how he could still smell Mariana but not find her.

Then Jacob froze as an unfamiliar and unwanted scent hit his nostrils. No. No, no, no!

“MARIANA!” Jacob yelled desperately.

No answer. Jacob scrabbled for his cellphone, immediately calling Sam. Sam picked up on the second dial.

Sam: Hey Jake, what’s up?
Jacob: I don’t have time to explain fully, but basically Paul screwed up, Mariana ran away and I followed her scent into the forest, and I got another scent. There’s…there’s a vampire in here too.
Sam: Shit…shit! And Mariana’s still lost?
Jacob: Yeah, I’m trying to find her, but I need you to get everyone from the party out here into the forest to stop this vamp. I can probably stop it myself, but I need backup to protect Mariana too.
Sam: I’m on it.
Jacob: Great. And Sam?
Sam: Yeah?
Jacob: Hurry.

Jacob shoved his phone back in his pocket, before running even faster. Please be alright Mariana! Please be alright!