What Hurts the Most

I was gasping for breath as someone was continuously putting pressure onto my stomach. Water erupted out of my throat and ran down my already soaked body. I tried to open my eyes, but it was too bright. But, it was so warm. I was so thankful to be in the light and the warmth. Somebody grabbed me and crushed me against them.

"Thank God!" he whispered into my ear. I could tell he was just as relieved as I was. "Thank God!"

I squinted my eyes to see, but all I saw was a mass of black hair. I smelled a familiar scent.

"J-cough, Jake?" I managed to choke out.

"Yeah, yeah it's me, it's me Nat!" Jake cried out, still pressing me into his chest. "Thank God."

"What h-happened?" I said, wrapping my arms around him. "All I remember is darkness, darkness and cold."

"Damn him," he whispered angrily. "DAMN HIM!"

He let go of me, and reached out for him again, but he was gone. Where did he go? Come back. I felt like a little kid that just lost his mother in a parking lot at the grocery store. I forced my eyelids open, despite the blinding sun, and saw another figure's outline to the left of me.

"Jake?" I called out. The figure took my hand. It was just as warm as his.

"No," an unfamiliar voice answered. "My name's Seth. I'm a friend of Jake's."

"Seth?!" I called out worriedly. What was my little brother doing here?

My vision became clear again, and I saw that it wasn't my brother, Seth. It was some young boy. I remembered him from the time I saw the pack. He was one of the wolves.

"Where's Jake?" I asked wearily, calming down. Slightly.

Seth pointed out to the water. I propped myself on elbows and looked out. At first, I didn't see anything except the rolling lake, but then I saw Jake's head pop out of the water. He was cursing loudly.

"What's he doing?" I questioned.

"Looking for that blood-sucker," Seth answered bitterly.

I snapped my head around and stared at him in horror.

"Tristan?" I said, worriedly.

"I don't care what his name was," he told me with a scowl. "All I know is that he's a vampire and needs to be taken OUT."

I looked back out at the water, and saw that he was returning to the beach that I was lying on. Seth squeezed my hand. Water poured off his body as he trudged up the beach.

"Gone?" Seth asked.

"Yeah," he muttered furiously. "He was in the water. I couldn't smell him. I couldn't see him. That bastard. She could've been killed! That would've been my entire fault. She would've died, and it would've been my entire fault. My fault! God, I can't keep ANYONE safe."

"Jake, it's not your-"

"Don't you dare say it wasn't my fault!" he roared at him. Seth remained quiet. "I was the one that allowed her out. She was my responsibility."

"Jake," I began quietly, a tear sliding down my cheek. "It was my fault. I begged you to let me out here."

"No," he said, turning soft. "It was nothing that you did."

"Jake, it was our fault too, man," Seth added. "We were on the lookout for the leech you told us about, but we never caught sight of him. I don't know how he did it, but he slipped passed us."

"Damn leech," Jake muttered, grabbing me into a fierce hug again. He was so warm.

"Yeah, you might want to get her back to your place," Seth suggested, squeezing my hand again. "She's probably freezing."

I didn't want to move. I was in his arms again and everything was right. There was no need for us to move. Unfortunately, Jake had other plans. He picked me up, bridal style and marched back to the house. He guarded me protectively. Seth was right at his heels.

"You want me to tell Sam?" Seth asked quietly.

"No need," Jake muttered, squeezing me closer. "He already knows. That's just helping my cause loads."

"I can soften him up," Seth offered. "Nobody can resist my boyish charm, not even Sam."

"No," Jake said coldly, but I could hear a grin in his voice. "I have to talk to him myself."

Seth held the door open for us, and followed us inside.

"I'll get some blankets," he informed us, and disappeared down the hallway.

Jake set me down delicately on the sofa, and stroked my hair lovingly. Who has the best boyfriend in the world?

Seth returned a second later, carrying five comforters on each arm. He tossed the whole pile onto me. I heard a smacking noise.

"She's gonna suffocate, you moron!" I heard Jake yell.

"No!" I shouted, although it was muffled by the ten comforters towering on top of me. "It feels amazing! Warmth!"

Seth chuckled. "See, she appreciates it!"

I felt the blankets shift, and my head poked out. Jake was grinning at me.

"I better go get you some dry clothes," he said distractedly, and walked off towards his room.

"So," Seth began, taking a seat on the little wooden coffee table. "Jake's imprinted on you, huh?"

"I guess so," I responded.

There was an awkward silence.

"What's it like?" he asked suddenly, very eager.

"What?"

"To be in love?" his eyes were wide in curiosity. He was so cute. Reminded me of my little brother...

"Well?" Seth interrupted my thoughts of home.

"Uh, gee, it's like," I really couldn't put it into words. I cuddled the couch's pillow to me like a teddy bear. "Like...Imagine someone you'd care about so much, you'd kill to see them everyday. Or just to hear their voice. It's like, nothing in the world matters except for that person. All your other troubles are gone, and they've replaced it."

"Hm," he said with a chuckle.

"But, why didn't you ask Jake about it?" I inquired.

"I wanted a girl's perspective," he began to explain, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because we're a pack, I see what every other wolf sees, and, I, I don't know. It's nice to see it in a different way. No, not see it, but imagine it."

"I understand," I said with a smile. This kid was adorable. He took my hand and squeezed it.

Jake walked back into the room, carrying another pair of sweatpants and a huge t-shirt. He stopped and stared at us curiously.

"Those...for me?" I asked, interrupting the uncomfortable silence.

He shook his head and smiled, saying "Yeah." He tossed them over. I pulled my arm out of the mountain of comforters and snagged them. I moaned.

"Do I have to get out?" I grumbled. It was too warm to get out.

"No, that's ok," Seth said. He wet his lips and then turned to Jake, looking a tad nervous. "I've got something to tell Jake. Outside."

I watched curiously as the two left. At the doorway, Jake stopped.

"I'll be right out here, ok?" he said reassuringly. I smiled to show I was alright. Jake nodded and then disappeared out the door.

I dove myself under the covers and ripped off the still soaking shirt and pants. I quickly slipped on the fresh clothes. I hope my bra and underwear doesn't soak through.

Then suddenly, through the peaceful quiet, there was an ear-splitting roar. It sounded like a dog. It sounded like Jake when we were confronted with those vampires back in Plainfield.

I tore through the front door, forgetting about how cold I was, and didn't like what I found when I got outside.