Enchanted

The boys rushed into the house just as the cookies were finished. They had surprisingly perfect time. As the all funneled into the kitchen I flattened myself against a wall and managed to slip out of their way and into the living room. Kim and Claire also seemed to retreat to this ‘safe’ area. None of us wanted to be trampled.

“Are you okay?” asked Kim as she looked at me.

“I don’t like wolves,” I answered. “And whether they are at the moment or not, it sets me on edge.” She nodded and went back to playing with Claire.

“Alyssa,” I heard a male voice say behind me. I turned around quickly to see Jacob standing a few feet away from me. “How are you?” he asked.

“Fine,” I said. “Can you take me back to my hotel?” I asked him.

“Yeah, that’ll be fine. My car is back at my house though. I can run over there and will be back in about ten minutes. Is that okay?” I nodded and Jake turned towards the door and left. Glancing out the window I saw him disappear into the forest.

I sat on the couch and watched Kim playing with Claire. Claire seemed to love the attention she was getting and Kim loved playing with the little girl. She was adorable. Five minutes later the boys began to come into the living room and turned on the TV. Seth came and took a seat next to me. Instinctively I stiffened before I made myself relax.

“You’re staying at a hotel?” asked Seth as he made himself comfortable. I was guessing the cookies had been demolished already as he looked content.

“Where else would I stay?” I asked ignoring the fact that he had eavesdropped. “I’m not from around here.”

“Where are you from?” asked Paul. Looking around I realized all eyes were on me and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

“I’m from Phoenix, Arizona. I’m leaving tonight.” Everyone seemed to go still and looked slightly shocked.

“You’re leaving?” asked Seth looking alarmed. “You can’t leave.”

“Why not?” I asked slightly afraid at the response I would receive. Was I really being held prisoner here?

“Because…” He trailed off, gritting his teeth. “You just can’t.”

“That is not a reason at all. It’s not like I want to stay here either.” Just then the door opened and whatever reply Seth would have made died in his throat. Jacob stood in the entryway looking completely dejected.

“Ready when you are,” he said to me. He tried to smile but it failed before it could be fully exposed. I got up and felt my skin bristle as everyone’s eyes followed me as I went out the door. Jacob was following behind me as I exited.

We got inside his car and it was silent as he drove away from Sam’s house, from the wolves. I could feel sadness radiating off of Jacob and it was making me uncomfortable. This time I sat close to the door for a different reason. I didn’t want to feel that emotion.

It wasn’t until after ten minutes of silence that Jacob spoke. “You really don’t want to be here?” he asked. I shook my head violently.

“I don’t like small towns. I’m used to the hustle and bustle of a city.” I gazed out at the surrounding woods imagining the many buildings of the city I lived in. There was never this much greenery and there was always someone out and about.

“I like La Push. Even if it’s all I’ve ever known, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Plus the rainforest is nice this time of year.”

“It is nice,” I said wistfully. It was pretty to see so much greenery and to see the way the water would drip from leaf to leaf. Everything seemed to sparkle with the watery coating. It just wasn’t my scene. I wasn’t an animal, I didn’t belong outside.

“There’s something else isn’t there?” asked Jacob. He seemed genuinely curious and not at all like he was judging me. I could tell he knew what it was. I could tell he didn’t want to believe it either. It was all right there in the way he gazed at me.

“Yes,” I said feeling slightly guilty for some reason. “I don’t want to be surrounded by a pack of wolves. I want to be far away from here.” Jacob’s sadness washed over me in a new wave and I glanced away from his eyes. I couldn’t bear to look at the amount of sadness they held. I hated making people miserable.

As I looked back at Jacob his grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles white. His whole body seemed tense in agitation. The sadness seemed to have dissipated from his body but I could still see the shine in his eyes. Did what I think really impact him that much? Did I matter that much? It must just be his love for his home, his culture. Yet both ideas seemed ridiculous.

“I don’t think you’re a monster,” I said softly, looking out my passenger window. “But you are a wolf. And the idea of that is simply terrifying. I’m not even sure if I’m even okay with that.”

“You need time,” agreed Jacob. “I can’t expect you to accept the idea in just one day.”

“But you wish I did,” I said before I could stop myself. Jacob’s silence confirmed my outburst before I could take it away. I clenched my jaw knowing I had hurt him but unsure of why or how. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“There’s no need to be sorry,” appeased Jacob. “You can’t change the way you feel.” I looked at him in surprise. I hadn’t expected that to come out of his mouth. I hadn’t expected him to understand. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that so I simply turned and kept staring out my passenger window. It wasn’t long before I began to feel tired and lent my head against the head rest. Slowly sleep covered any conscious thoughts.



“Alyssa, wake up,” I heard a voice saying gently. I tried to ignore it and turned my head in the other direction, curling into a tighter ball. “I know you hear me,” the masculine voice said. I could hear the smile in his tone.

“No, I don’t,” I mumbled, closing my eyes tighter.

“Yes, you do,” he said and I could picture him smiling wider. “Now open your eyes. We’re at the hotel.” I blinked my eyes open, staring at the glaring sun. In front of my eyes stood the nice hotel I had decided to stay in for Bella’s wedding. Everything came back at that point and I realized I was in Jacob’s car. I sat up quickly and in the process accidentally hit my head.

“Ow,” I said and put my hand over the wound. It hadn’t hurt too much. It was more the fact it had caught me by surprise that caused the pain.

“Are you okay?” asked Jacob looking immediately concerned. He reached up a hand towards my head and I pulled backward. I put up and hand and grabbed his wrist to stop him. Once our skin made contact I immediately pulled away. I didn’t want to get anywhere near him. His skin was too hot. He was a wolf and he could hurt me at any moment.

“I’m fine,” I said shakily after the contact. “It just surprised me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Jacob always looked so sincere and so sorry whenever he said something. I didn’t think he’d ever want to lie to me and that his feelings were true. But that was a ridiculous thing to think about someone you had just met two days ago. I didn’t really know him. I didn’t know him at all. All I knew was that he turned into a giant wolf and that was enough to send me running the other way.

“I have to get going,” I said unbuckling my seatbelt and unlocking the door.

“Wait,” said Jacob sounding nervous. I paused and turned to look at him curiously. He reached over and opened the glove compartment. I pressed myself against the door to avoid any contact. He pulled out a pen and paper and scribbled something down quickly. Folding it in half he handed it over to me. I took it, being careful not to touch his fingers in the process.

“It’s my phone number. I imagine you’re going to be dealing with a lot after finding out about this. And I just wanted to say that if you ever need anybody to talk to you can call me.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Thank you, Jacob,” I said giving him a genuine smile. “That is really sweet.” He grinned and I thought I could almost detect a faint blush on his cheeks. I wanted to return the kindness he had just shown me. “Don’t move,” I told him.

“Why can’t I—”

“Just don’t move,” I said cutting him off. He went silent and still. After I made sure he didn’t seem to want to move I leaned towards him. I pressed my lips to his cheek in a quick peck. His scent filled my nose and I closed my eyes enjoying the smell.

I quickly pulled away from him and pressed my back against the door. “Thank you,” said Jacob looking completely happy.

“Thanks for everything,” I said opening up the car door, not taking my eyes off of him. “Goodbye.” I quickly tore my gaze away from him and got out of the car.

“Bye,” Jacob said before I shut the door, cutting off any further amount of conversation. I walked away from his car and towards the door of the hotel. As I reached the door, I looked back once. I saw Jacob’s car pull out of the parking lot and onto the road, back towards La Push. I’m not sure I could describe the feeling I felt. I’m not sure I could even tell you why I was feeling it.