Re-Imprint

The day had been long and I was happy to finally escape the confines of the grocery store when I left work. But when the sliding doors of the building opened, my happiness dissolved instantly. The ever constant rain of Seattle was falling once more, and I realized that my umbrella was in my car. With a groan I looked to the silver vehicle sitting across the parking lot. Knowing there was no way to get past it I ran out from underneath the awning and across the slick blacktop, rain pelting down and soaking my clothes.

Once in the confines of my car, I pulled off my jacket and wrung some of the rain water out of my hair. There was a flash of lightning that caused me to jump and grip the steering wheel with white knuckles. Taking a few calming breaths I finally turned the car on and blasted the heat. The radio was tuned to a classical music station set on low and the soft melodies soothed me.

I turned out of the parking lot, the warm air coming from the vents and the orchestral music slowly easing away the tension built up in my shoulders.

The rain caused nobody to be out on the roads, and I drove through the streets, passing only a few other cars. My hair started to try, curling madly around my shoulders and face. I scrubbed a hand down my face, eyes picking up the colorful stains littered across my fingers and wrist.

“Stupid airbrush,” I muttered, glaring darkly at my hands.

I was only a street away from her house when I noticed a lone figure walking along the sidewalk, head bowed against the rain. I didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to think about how I just knew, but I did. The broad shoulders and the tense way with which he walked instantly made me recognize him.

I slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the street, rolling the window down. The rain came in through the small crack but I stuck my head out anyways.

“Jacob!” I hollered.

He paused in is walking and turned towards me. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his sweatshirt; hood pulled up over his head and pulled close to his face. But my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized he was wearing no shirt under his hoodie and only basketball shorts on his legs.

“What the hell are you doing? Get in the car!”

I could see him hesitate but when my glare intensified he came around the side of the car and climbed into the passenger seat. I rolled the window back up and turned the heat up even higher. The hair on my head that had been dry was dripping wet again but I wasn’t nearly as bad off as Jacob.

“Seriously, are you trying to catch your cold of death?” I snapped at him.

He pulled his head down and shook his hair out a little bit, sending drops of water everywhere, more running off his body to pool on the floor mats of the seat.

“Jacob, will you answer me?”

He huffed out an annoyed sigh before glancing over at me, dark eyes staring out from under heavy brows.

“It’s not like I meant to get stuck in the rain. I just went for a walk and then it started to pour. I thought about going back home but by then I was already soaked so didn’t see point,” he finally shrugged.

“Well, I’m going to drop you off at your house before your family freaks out.”

He seemed to tense at the word family but I ignored it as best as I could, pushing my curiosity aside.

“Where do you live?”

He muttered the address to me and with a nod I pulled away from the sidewalk, recognizing the street name. It was about fifteen minutes away and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing walking so far away from his house. And so close to mine.

At some point I had turned the music off and the only sound in the cramped car was the sound of our breathing and the rain pelting the metal roof. In between watching the road I glanced over at him, being as discreet as possible.

Jacob’s gaze was trained on the windshield, jaw clenched tightly together. Now that there was nobody else around us, the very air was charged with something akin to electricity that had nothing to do with the lightning flashing outside. I could feel all the little hairs on my body stand up in awareness, a tight feeling clenching in my chest.

Why did I feel so on edge around him?

As soon as the car pulled into the driveway of the yellow house that would be cheery had it been sunny out, the front door burst open a person with an umbrella rushing out.

“Jacob Black, you better have a good reason as to why you stormed out like that!”

I recognized Bella’s voice over the furious rain as she stalked over to the car and wrenched open the passenger door.

“Hi Joey,” she greeted, before training her glare on Jacob. “You. Get in that house.”

She grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the seat, pushing him towards the house, before running over to my side.

“Why don’t you come on in and dry off for a little bit?”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly intrude. Really, I’m fine,” I mumbled.

“Nonsense, I insist. Least I can do for you since you brought that idiot back home.”

Her perfect face was set in a friendly grin but I could see that she wasn’t budging. With a small sigh, I turned off the car and pulled my slightly damp jacket back on and grabbed my own umbrella from the back seat. We sprinted away from the car to the front of the yellow house, the porch awning stopping the onslaught of rain once we reached it. I shook some rain water out of my umbrella before closing it back up and Bella did the same with hers. I hesitated a second before following her into the open front door, the warmth of the house enveloping us.

The foyer was decorated in in varying shades of blue with accents of white, an arch to the left opening into a dining room, and a set of sliding, wooden doors to the right. There were multiple male voices mingled with loud laughing and the sounds of moving around.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“Oh, no,” Bella laughed, the sound chiming like bells. “It’s just my obnoxious family.”

“Your family? Maybe I should leave-”

“It’s useless now. Renesmee knows you’re here and no doubt wants to see you.”

“How does she-”

“Joey!”

The doors slid open, the little girl running forwards until she latched onto my legs, hugging tightly. I detached her from my legs and bent down to her level, ruffling her copper curls with one hand.

“Have you come to play with us, Joey?” she giggled.

“No, sweetie. I just came to bring Jacob back home.”

“He got angry and went outside in the rain, but I don’t know why he’d want to get wet. I don’t like the rain,” she mumbled. Her little face scrunched up with confusion and I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression. “Hey, do you want some cake? I ate the piece with the bear on it and it was really good!”

“I’m okay, little one, but thank you. Actually, I should probably be getting back to my own house.”

That was when the doors to the room went crashing open, sliding off lopsidedly on their tracks. Two bodies came tumbling through, falling to the ground. I recognized one as Jacob, the other had the same caramel toned skin and dark hair but looked much younger and not as well built.

“Stop asking questions that don’t concern you,” Jacob growled as he swung a fist towards the other male. It connected with a sickening crunch and he brought it back for another punch.

“Well then why don’t you tell us all what has gotten your panties into such a twist. Maybe you’re not so happy here with your little family of bloodsuckers,” the younger boy spat.

More people filed out of the living room, a few with the same features as Jacob, the other half looking related to Bella. Seeing the groups together was almost comical, their skin tones and demeanors complete opposite. Edward stepped forward and hauled Jacob up off the ground, but he thrashed violently in the pale man’s grip.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Paul, so just shut your mouth,” Jacob hissed.

For a split second I swear I could see his features move, almost twisting into something else before he launched himself towards the other man again.

Paul let out a howl so ferocious and animalistic that I cringed. There was the sound of clothes ripping and bones popping before he went flying through the air, fur exploding from his body, claws outstretched from massive paws.

Two wolves were about to tear each other apart, and somehow I had found myself in the crossfire