Loca

Friday came way to fast.

Saying I was getting cold feet would be an understatement, but I had made my decision and I was sticking to it. I wasn’t going to throw away a lifetime worth of waiting just because I was afraid.

That wasn’t how I rolled.

I would take whatever this would cost me- be it the fear or the pain.

And as for Jacob…I would deal with him later. I knew if I did it sooner I wouldn’t be able to go through with it, and also that Jacob would try and stop me somehow.

XxX

It was close to 2 a.m. and the house was dead silent.

Bella was lying down, her eyes closed while I waited for a few more minutes before waking her up. She grumbled little but got out of bed eventually and dressed quietly, since our dad was asleep.

There was no Poker tonight, but that was okay because I had other things on my mind than gambling for candy that would go to my head anyways.

“What now?” Bella mumbled, regaining consciousness quicker than I’d have thought. I rolled my eyes-this girl obviously knew nothing about sneaking out, but then again so had I…before I turned twelve.

“We walk out,” I said sarcastically, causing her to glare at me.

But we did, and we continued to walk on, avoiding Bella’s noisy truck and heading to the woods where a gigantic ten foot wolf was waiting for us, a ways in, along with Hector, who was human and waiting for me. I hugged him and he kissed me briefly before helping Bella onto the other wolf, Lafe, and running backwards to phase away from us.

He ran out, his deep grey head bowing down in a nod, before I jumped onto his back and knotted my fingers in his fur.

Bella seemed unsure about riding bare back on a werewolf, but I shot her a reassuring smile, for I had done this hundreds of times.

We took off – the speed making tears run down my face while a huge grin refused to fade to hide the nervousness. Bella was laughing, and I smiled wider.

I knew it was a good idea to bring her along.

Hector suddenly lurched to a stop and I jumped off his back. We were deep in the woods, but I wasn’t sure exactly where. It was close to home though, because the wolves had left Forks behind a while ago while their crazy running had gotten us here in barely five minutes.

Lafe let Bella down and she stumbled a bit, her ponytail slightly out of place while Lafe ran back and phased and came back out.

He grinned at me, his green speckled eyes shining before we started walking the short distance to wherever we were going.

Hector held my hand, and Lafe held Bella’s, but that was because she was bound to trip over something if he didn’t. Edward had me accountable for her safety now.

Clearing the brush, a group of about fifteen people were waiting for us – Danni, Jason, Katara, Chris, Tabby, Joe, Dante, Stefan, Lucas, Ash, Lizzie, Noah, Alex and Dominic.

Raphael was at the center of a large circle that I had only read about. Hector squeezed my hand.

Bella stood off awkwardly and Lafe towed her to stand by with the others. I saw a bit of worry leak into her eyes for me. I smiled at her again.

Then Hector dropped my arm and I was alone.

The moon was fading, but if it were high then there was a chance that I would have a reaction to the wolf transformation – like not being able to phase back for…a while.

Raphael, (pronounced Rafail) smiled at me, and I let a small one taint my face. I was too nervous to give him the real thing.

“Trinity,” Raph greeted, and I ignored that my name was wrong, paying more attention to the way the name fell like dripping honey from his mouth. My eyes were all for him, because I was terrified to look away.

“Pack,” Raphael greeted next, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed that there was a brief rumble in the line as Bella stared.

“Trinity has been our sister for as long as we can remember. She has been ours longer than she has been theirs, and has put aside the aspects of tradition, and folded away the remains of her human existence, to be one of us.” He continued, pausing once to look at me. I don’t know what he saw in my eyes, but it must’ve been a conformation because he continued.

“We all recognize the decision she has made, but it’s up to you and me if we keep her. Do you accept her…as more than a sister? Do you accept her as a pack mate?” he said, and I tore my eyes away.

This was the part I had feared most.

If so much as two people objected, I would go home tonight, and that would be the end of it. There were no retries no do overs, and I’d be stuck as a human forever. Until I died.

Tabby and Chris were two people.

One by one each of the wolves present looked at one another until finally I was saved. The speeches started.

“I accept her,” Danni said proudly.

“I accept her,” Katara said smiling.

“I accept her,” Hector murmured, but he was glaring at Tabby and Chris, his thoughts in tune with mine.

“I accept her,” Jason drilled boredly, and I resisted the urge to glare at my friend for her lack of interest. My heart was hammering my chest right now.

“I accept her,” Lafe said, followed by the rest.

Finally it got to the last three, well, four if you count Raph, but I already knew his vote.

“I accept her,” Lizzie said, her eyes turned to the ground. I was surprised, but I let it go because honestly I hadn’t really been worried about her vote at all.

Tabby sneered at me, and I could see how mad she was that everyone wanted to keep me. That her brother and her pack-mates wanted me to be one of them.

She and I had never gotten along. I will never know why, but then again I don’t make enemies – I just find them somehow.

“I reject her,” she said simply, snippily, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Several snarls broke out, along with a few harsh profanities but Raphael silenced them.

Christina turned to me.

She had been one of us, a part of the group Danni, Jason, and I belonged too. She was Chris, she was our friend and she was loyal.

But then she left, for a whole summer, to go to some summer camp her mom signed her up for so she’d become less of a boy. That was when we lost her. That was when she suddenly dyed her hair blonde and she and Tabby became best friends while Christina, suddenly become nothing but Tina. No Chris, no nothing.

I stared at her for a long time, not sure what was on my face before finally, completely opposite of the way Chris normally talked, a quiet, “I accept her,” was uttered.

I blinked.

“She is accepted,” Raphael said, not needing to cast his own vote. We knew already.

Tabby’s jaw dropped, and she stared in disbelief.

Raphael rested his hands on my shoulders and I turned away from her. Bella was smiling where she stood, tucked away from the drama of today’s early morning.

“Welcome,” Raph said, and then he stepped aside.

Everyone else moved forward, but Tabby, who had rejected me and was not a part of this circle. They all rested a hand on me – my face, my shoulder, my arm, looking for the wolf that hadn’t risen yet.

They backed up when Raphael, who was experienced enough to do that now, back flipped into a wolf.

His big brown head looked at me, and I could see the message in his deep eyes, so like Hector’s.

I had to change now, and I had to be branded.

“Danni,” I said, and it was easy to see her surprise. She probably thought I would’ve wanted Hector.

She backed up into the woods unquestioningly, keeping the silence that was agreed upon and came out only a moment later as a wolf.

Her head bowed toward mine, a chestnut color that matched the streaks in her hair and she tried for a wolf’s smile. She rested her paw on my stomach and whined and I knew it was an apology for what she was about to do.

I smiled at her though, because I knew it wouldn’t hurt as bad as she thought. I wasn’t that fragile.

Carefully, slowly, Danni swiped her claw across my hip. I could feel the blood start where the mark was. I bit my lip, but didn’t let myself sway as the pain lashed out at me.

I kneeled, seeing as it was expected, and Raph gently pushed Danni out of the way, so he was leaning over me.

Some doctors believe that wolf saliva has healing properties, and their right, but only the Alpha of a werewolf pack can create new wolf species by it.

Raph licked the open wound, and I felt a bit of stinging before looking down to see the skin stretching back over the cuts, and sealing the wolf inside of me.

It was kind of cool to watch, but suddenly it didn’t matter because I felt a flash of heat down my spine, the transformation done fast due to the organization of the process, and the moon that was full in the sky still, although low.

My back arched forward slightly, and I felt a haze grow over my vision while my eyes were changing color – a common thing for first timers. Bella gasped somewhere.

And I was on four legs at last.