#embry twilight

Truthfully, it wasn't like you and Embry had actually hung out that much or talked a lot. You’d never talked in person at all. After all, he had his old friends, Quil and Jacob, and now his new friends, Sam Uley and his crowd. And you were a perpetual loner that spent most of your time either in the library or on the beach or in the woods, always with your CD player and a book and always by yourself. Those books had been the first thing you’d had in common, books and the letters hidden within them. For nearly a whole year, you'd swapped old paperbacks with little love notes hidden inside. Little at first. Sweet and simple. But in time the letters had become longer, deeper. You'd told him things you'd never told anyone else and now...

Now there was nothing.

The last book you’d lent him, Jane Eyre, had been returned suddenly and without warning sooner than usual, simply left on your desk in English Literature.

No note.

Every letter you'd slipped into his locker or mailbox had gone unanswered.

He skipped English every day since and you didn't share another period at all, not even able to catch him in the halls. You used to always see him around, looking at you with those pretty, dark eyes, like ink. Like new moons. But now he was just gone, searching and never finding his familiar face. When you'd finally worked up the courage to ask Jacob Black what was going on, he had sympathy for certain but no answers to give you.

"Did I do something wrong?"

That last letter...

The one you'd asked him to meet you in your favorite spot in the woods, far off the reservation, even drawing a little map. Telling him that you wanted to talk in person. That you wanted to tell him something.

You'd waited.

Until the sun had set and twilight faded and the world became a cold, moonless night. You waited and waited and waited and…

He never showed.

And you'd been wondering since if that last letter had been the cause of all of this.

"No, no, he…” Jacob smiled sadly, looking away from you. “I don't know what's happened to Em but it's got nothing to do with you, Y/N."

And so you'd been lost in silence since, giving up on answers. The only person who could have given them to you was the one person who wouldn’t give them. So you gave up. Even though you still asked yourself questions, and letters, even though you still re-read the ones he'd once written and wrote more still.

You just didn't send them.

Instead, an empty journal became letters to a ghost, writing page after page of love letters until your skin was ink stained and the thick hardback journal was nearly full in only those three months.

You had stopped going to English Lit too, because seeing his empty desk hurt too much.

You had stopped slipping the notes and searching for him in crowds.

You just...stopped.

Getting through the motions was easy. There were no friends to worry about you, your mom had died years ago and your dad just worked all of the time. So it was easy enough to just get up, go to school, and hide as much as you could, just...existing.

Besides that, all you ever did these days was listen to music and wander the woods and write.

Truthfully, you weren't supposed to be in the woods at all. Especially not this far out. Animal attacks had been going on for months, missing hikers and mauled bodies found, some never found at all. There were missing persons posters and warning notices posted pretty much everywhere now. Nothing had happened on the reservation, which was probably why the council had been so strict about people leaving since it seemed to be the only safe place, and you'd tried to listen, hiding out in the woods but never going too far.

Truly. you tried.

But seeing Embry hanging out with Uley's gang on the beach, far from their view as you watched them goof off, had hurt too much.

He never looked at you…

Never noticed you were even alive anymore…

But looking at him was heartbreak itself and, without even thinking about it, you'd taken off into the woods, running towards your favorite spot. It was just a little clearing, maybe a little ways off the reservation, full of flowers with a single oak tree in the middle of it. Beneath that tree, you'd spend hours reading and writing and dreaming, tracing the initials that lovers had carved into the trees over the years. You'd been dreaming of it for years, falling in love with someone and carving your own initials into the tree together and maybe you'd hoped...you had thought...

What does it matter now?

Sitting in the dancing shadows of the branches, you slipped out the journal and began to write again.

"Embry,

I miss knowing your soul. For a year, I had it in my head that I knew your soul better than any other on earth. Something only I knew, coveting everything about it. I knew it. I loved it. I loved every little thing about you thatI managed to learn and now...now I feel like I don't know you at all. Over and over I've read your letters, trying to find some clue, some answer to what happened, and there's nothing.

Nothing but silence.

Nothing but loving you and hurting for it.

And I don't know if I can keep loving and hurting for someone who won't even look at me anymore.

Why won't you look at me?"

SNAP.

You stopped, ink jumping on the page as something caught your attention. Something in the woods.

Silence..and then another sharp snap, jumping this time as something moved past you, so quick you didn’t even see it as the journal flew out from your hands. A bird. Just a bird, you tried to tell yourself, hands shaking as you reached for the journal and...nothing.

There was nothing.

The journal was gone, standing up and looking frantically, heart thudding in your chest as those careful, comforting excuses began to weaken in your mind.

“Who’s Embry?”

Whipping around, you were shocked to see a woman standing in the clearing. Pale and perfect, the woman was a wild thing with red hair and ragged clothes and bare feet. Somehow she was the most beautiful and the most hateful thing you’d ever seen all at once, casually flipping through the journal without even a clue of how she’d got it.

“W..what?”

“I mean,” she grinned, so sharp and sweet. “He must be something special to you, considering all the pathetic little love letters you’ve scribbled to him. A paramour?”

You stepped back, shaking from both the fear and humiliation of the moment, heart trembling beneath your ribs so hard it hurt. The woman paused, head slightly cocked as though she were listening to something, a cruel grin blooming across her pretty, pretty, hateful little face.

“A former paramour,” she decided. “Poor lamb! Did he break your little heart? Is that why you’ve come to the woods to weep?”

“Stop it,” you gasped through the fear, finally finding your voice. “Just stop it!”

She laughed and tossed the journal to your feet, somehow making it from all the way across the clearing in a single throw.

Who was she?

Why was she here?

Had she appeared from the ether just to torment some girl in the woods? Maybe the universe had sent her to rub salt into wounded hearts but it didn’t matter. You were taking the journal and going home, kneeling down to snatch it back from the earth. But in the single heartbeat that it took, in the only second you’d taken your eyes off of her, the woman moved. Soundlessly. Quickly. Her shadow fell over you in an instant, gaze snapping to meet her eyes...her red eyes…

Like poppies and pomegranates...like blood…

A pale hand reached out slowly, unable to move as she played with your hair, twirling it between ice cold fingers.

“Poor, lost little lamb, have you wandered away from your shepherd in all your heartbreak?” she mocked, smiling again, her hand moving to grasp your throat. A scream was strangled as her grip tightened and her grin grew colder, crueler. “I can make all your hurt go away...”

Eyes began to go black as she stole your breath, your voice, head spinning and...and a scream that wasn’t yours filled the air. Suddenly thrown back, you hit the tree and fell to the earth with a painful, almost desperate gasp of air. It took a moment for the world to stop spinning, clutching grass between your fingers as you clawed into the earth and looked up.

A wolf…

It was a wolf standing over you, almost protectively, snarling at something you couldn’t see beyond its giant form. Gray fur spotted with black, its sleek body huddled close, warming your shivering form as it watched something, snarling still.

The woman appeared, eyes alight as she hissed furiously, glaring at the wolf.

It looked back only once, glancing towards you for only a moment...those eyes...those new moon eyes, so much like Embry’s…

It couldn’t be.

And yet you were reaching out to touch his face gently, as thought you didn’t fear anything at all, and the wolf looked at you still, his dark eyes wide and almost tearful. Bedtime stories filled your mind, the stories your dad used to tell you about wolf warriors and monsters in the woods, a single question slipping from your lips. Not the ones you’d been silently asking over and over for months, but the only one that mattered in this moment:

“Embry?”

Wolf song filled the woods, more wolves coming towards you.

And suddenly the woman was gone and so was your wolf, a gray blur racing after her into the darkness. You didn’t wait for the answers you’d feared would never come. Stumbling to your feet, you broke into a run and followed the path you knew far too well, running, running, running through the woods until the reservation was in sight. There was a sense of safety as you passed the old sign welcoming you to La Push, only stopping once you’d crossed that invisible boundary. Looking back, you stood alone in the road, not certain of what you expected to see.

A wolf…

A monster with red, red eyes…

A boy you loved…

But there was no one there, nothing but you and the shadows and the small sliver of moonlight that had managed to break through the dark clouds, silver cast across your skin. The pain of the attack was starting to get to you as the adrenaline faded, bloodstains and dark, throbbing bruises all over your body, clothes torn and hair tangled.

You didn’t stay long.

Walking home, you slipped into the dark and quiet house, knowing that your dad was working nights. There was no one to hear you cry in the shower or catch you as you tended to your own wounds with shaking hands. Alone. You were alone in the dark house, far away from the monsters. Crawling into bed, sleep never came to you. Lately you’d taken to writing letters if you couldn’t sleep, but the sudden realization that you’d left the journal back in the woods hit you harder than you’d expected.

There was no going back for it.

You didn’t know if you’d ever go back to the clearing again, imagining the journal, all of your unsent love letters, rotting away on the forest floor, becoming earth and seed and wildflowers.

So you didn’t write.

And you didn’t sleep.

You simply stayed awake through the long night and listened to the wolves singing in the woods, wondering why you’d never really noticed it before…

~

Morning came over the forest.

And with the sun came the silence, danger chased out for a night as wolves became boys again. Just boys. Ones who had once had hopes and dreams and things beyond this unspoken war. A single boy broke away from the pack, thinking of the things he’d once had, the things he’d been forced to leave behind for a war he never wanted.

His friends.

His relationship with his mother.

His whole future.

And Y/N...his Y/N.

She was his, wasn’t she? He’d known it the moment he’d finally dared to look at her, just to see how badly she was hurt. Cuts and bruises mostly. Nothing broken. But in that moment, everything had changed and something, just one thing, had been given back to him. But as he flipped through the journal and realized everything he’d put her through, Embry Call asked yet another silent question, a needle in the haystack of misery he’d been building for three months:

The further Jacob drove from Emilys the more the pit in your stomach grew, the more you felt a sense of loneliness and incompletion. And if you were being completely honest you were freaking out. You tried to keep your mind off of it but it was only making you think about it more, your hands were fiddling with anything you found in the truck and your heartbeat was getting faster and faster.

Jacob was trying his best to keep you calm while also keeping himself calm as Bella kept asking if you were okay, but this led to both of them talking over each other and soon Bella started getting mad. After maybe 10 minutes of both of them arguing over what the hell just happened you snapped.

"Stop the truck!" You yelled, making both of them stop talking.

"We're in the middle of the bridge-"

"Stop the fucking truck!" The truck came to a halt on the side of the road and you were quick to get out of the stuffy cage. You took in a deep breath as you walked around the truck and onto the empty road. You felt overwhelmed with emotion, something you've never felt in your life and it scared the shit out of you.

You wanted to scream and shout, you wanted to take this awful feeling out of your chest and you wanted to punch Paul. Who even was Paul? You didnt know a single thing about him. Not one. And now Jacob was telling you that he was your soulmate. It was laughable.

Everything was laughable. And before you could stop yourself from acting like a crazy person you bursted out laughing, and you couldn't seem to stop yourself. You covered your mouth as Jake and Bella came closer to you.

When you looked up you saw where you were. It was the same bridge you stopped at when you saw Embry and the rest of the pack Cliff jumping. When you saw Paul Cliff jumping, and the thought of him made you start crying.

You felt Jake pull you towards him, he wrapped his arms around you as you put your face into his super warm chest. Yours hands were still covering your mouth as he hugged you tighter.

He kissed the top of your head before placing his cheek on your head, giving you maybe one of the best hugs you've ever received. You didn't even know how much you needed it until this moment.

~~~

Jacob stayed over that night, he was explaining imprinting in greater detail since now you were apart of it, since now you had been imprinted on. You weren't as freaked out anymore, you were more calm and collected.

Yes you did have a couple of mental breakdowns since being in your room, you honestly didn't know how to handle it. It didn't make sense to you how you accepted Vampires and Werewolves being real but this is where you freaked. Maybe because it involved you, and your life and your family.

The more Jacob explained the anger you got. Being imprinted on made it feel as if it wasn't your choice for whom you loved, and yes you could reject him but that would be so much worse for him then for you and you just couldn't do that to him. As much as you disliked him and even though you didn't know a thing about him you still felt connected to him in a way.

You groaned in annoyance once he finished explaining, and lied on your bed, looking up at the sealing. He only sighed as he lied beside you, you could feel his eyes on you but you just ignored him.

"How do you feel?" He finally asked after a long silence. You honestly didn't know how to answer that question. You felt so many emotions right now, angry, sad, conflicted. How was a person supposed to deal with this?

"I don't know," You said quietly. "How am I supposed to even feel? If its in love then no. No I don't feel in love. How am I supposed to even love a total stranger?" Jacob was quiet for a little, but he was still looking at you. You moved your gaze to him, and looked into his eyes.

You could tell he was hurt, sad, and confused, maybe even a little angry as well. The way he was looking at you was a way he never had before.

"I'm sorry. I wish you could've fallen in love the right way." He was silent for a little, as if trying to find the right words. "And I know you feel as if its not your choice but Y/N it is. Don't think about what this could mean for him, forget him completely. Think about you, and how your life will change,"

~~~

That night was a hard one. You don't even think you got an hour of sleep, the thoughts in your head kept you up the whole night and the future of your life made you wonder what you should do.

Common sense made you want to reject him, for the love of God you didn't even know the boy. You had only seen him once before this. And with that your mind was made up.

It took a couple of days before you agreed to meet with him. You would meet him at the bonfire that was being hosted by Billy, a bonfire you had always attended when you were a little kid.

If you were being completely honest you were a little nervous to see him again, and it took you forever to decide on what to wear that night. You didn't understand why you were this nervous, you hadn't felt this way since Christmas mornings as a kid.

Bella had come with you and Jacob, and as they were walking you had fallen behind. You looked nervously around the fire, trying to see the familiar face, and the feeling in your chest started getting stronger. And then it was like time had stopped all together, like everyone had vanished and it was just the two of you.

Paul looked up when he saw Seth run up to Jacob but his eyes found yours in an instant. You felt relived in the weirdest way possible, and you felt nervous, like he was the boy you'd been in love with since you were little, but it wasn't that case so why the hell did it feel like that?

You could see how nervous he was when his eyes slowly dragged down your body. You could see the way he blew out a breath before his eyes met yours again. You could see the confidence he had maybe 5 minutes ago leave his eyes, he looked scared and venerable. Like he knew what you would say to him.

"Y/N," You shifted your eyes away from Paul and looked towards Seth who was calling out your name, you had only met him a handful of times but he seemed like a good kid. "I heard about you and Paul and I just wanted to say that you should run-"

"Maybe you should run," You heard a deep voice say before he grabbed Seth by the shoulders and playful shoved him. Seth only laughed.

"You know I was just kidding." He looked towards you. "Or was I?" Seth started laughing when Paul tried grabbing for him again but Seth just ran away. Paul looked at you with soft eyes, something that made you take in a deep breath, and something that made the butterflies in your stomach go wild.

"You better stay a good distance away from her Paul-"

"Its okay," You said, smiling at Jacob who looked as if he wanted to punch Paul. Bella tried to hold in her laugh as she dragged Jake away. You gave Paul a small smile when you looked back at him and that smile made all his walls just crumple. He was different around you and he so desperately wanted to be the stone cold person he was before he set his eyes on you.

"Paul," You didn't know where to start. Or how to start. You didn't dare look into his eyes, because if you did you knew you'd never be able to say the words you had memorized in your head.

"Don't waste your time," He said, causing you to furrow your brows. You tilted your head, about to ask what he was talking about but he spoke first. "I never wanted someone like you to be my imprinter just like you never wanted to be with me,"

"Someone like me?" You knew you shouldn't care that he didn't want to be with you because you also didn't want him, but it was the way he said it, the way his face changed when he mentioned it. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what I said. I don't like little girls who run around with 100 year old vampires. Ones who practically bag to be changed-"

"You have the wrong twin," You interrupted, clenching your fits. "I hate vampires just as much as yo-"

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows, stepping closer towards you. "I've heard that you are dangerously close to a certain buff vampire," You scoffed, trying your best not to burst out laughing.

"Emmet? You've got to be joking. I couldn't care less about that idiot. And besides, why do you even care-"

"I don't,"

"You obviously do otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up-"

"I just don't like my imprint going near those things," His nose was almost brushing against yours. He was so close. Too close. You could tell he was mad, maybe even a little jealous. Protective. You didn't understand why, he made it clear how he doesn't want you.

"Well you can't tell me where I can and where I can't go. Or who I can and who I can't be with. I don't care if you imprinted on me or even if you peed on me to state your clam," You looked up into his eyes. "I am not yours. You don't have any clam to me and you never will," You backed away, never breaking eye contact as you made your way past him and towards Jacob and Bella.

As you neared your eyes spotted Jacobs little pack, all sitting together near the fire. Embry's eyes fell on you and he gave a small wave and a smile, which you returned. Although your smiled faded quickly when Paul sat down with them. You turned away the second he looked towards you.

"I'm guessing things didn't go well?" Jacob asked when you came and sat down next to them.

"Nope. I've never met anyone so." You couldn't even think of a word to discribe him, all you knew was you did not like him a bit.

"Yeah I know what you mean. But he gets better the more you know him," Jacob gave you an apologetic look as he rubbed your back. You didn't believe a word of that, from what you saw Paul was hot headed and might even have bipolar. Whatever it was, you wanted nothing to do with it, and even though the conversation didn't go as planed he got what you were trying to put across.

Your eyes slowly shifted towards Paul, and for some odd reason disappointment filled your senses. He was an attractive boy, you couldn't lie to yourself about that, and he may not be the type of guys you go for but something was different about him. Maybe it was the imprinting talking but it all felt to real for it to be just that.

Your breathing picked up in pace when his eyes connected with your own. There is was again, those stupid feelings you can't explain, you wanted to just rip them out of you and throw them as far away as you could because they were just too intense when they started. But you also loved the way they felt, they felt right in a way.

You were just too new to all of this, and no matter how much Jacob talked about or explained it you were still confused. You wanted to understand it so maybe you would be able to control the feelings for they made you feel like you're going crazy.

You could see Paul's demeanour change the more he looked at you, as if all his roughness and hard energy wasn't there anymore. He looked almost vulnerable, and lost. Just as lost as you. But then out of nowhere, his eyes hardened and turned cold which caused you to almost physically flinch.

You furrowed your brows but turned away nonetheless. You felt almost hurt by the mode switch and you had no idea why. You didn't want him, in fact you were the one to say it first. So why the hell did you care if he felt the same way about you?

You clenched your jaw, your eyes boring into the fire that everyone was seated around. You couldn't hear what Billy was saying, but you had heard the story about a-hundred times when you were younger.

But you also couldn't sit here while Paul was right across from you. Everything about him just pissed you off and you weren't one to get mad easy or dislike someone as much as you did Paul.

So you excused yourself, not looking at anyone as you made your way towards the house. You took a deep breath in as you entered the house, trying to relax yourself by rolling your shoulders back and letting your head fall against the wall behind you.

You felt so tense, which is yet another thing you never had problems with. But it seemed Paul brought all of those out, or he just made new ones.

You got off the wall with a sigh and headed to the kitchen, where you grabbed yourself a bottle of water from the fridge. But just as you were about to twist the cap off you heard the click of a door. Your heart beat picked up a little as you looked around the empty house, your hand slowly pushing the fridge door closed before you silently crept to the front door.

But no one was there. You swore you heard the door close, but it could very easily have been your mind playing tricks on you. You have been quite tense today after all.

You turned around, about to go back to the kitchen but right as you took a step forward someone stepped into your line of sight.

………

Taglist

Alec -

You were nervous that your ability wouldn’t be enough to be in the Volturi. What if you did join and failed? These thoughts flew around your mind and Alec could sense your body language. He grabbed your hand to stop it from nervously shaking and gave you a comforting smile, lifting up his fingers and motioning for you to smile. Rubbing your back as Aro asked for you to reveal your powers to him, Caius and Marcus. After it went well he pulled you out of the room and kissed your forehead.

Demetri -

He froze up when he saw you in the empty thrown room, sitting upon the stairs, tears falling down your cheeks. Eventually after peaking around he walked over to you and beside you, noticing the picture in your hands. He ignored it and looked you in the eyes, asking what was on your mind. You told him you hated being a vampire, you used to be normal, have beautiful eyes, now you’re different and a vampire. He noticed the picture was of you when you motioned it and he took it, looking at it and ripping it in half and shaking his head.

~”She was beautiful but she isn’t the girl I love. I like this.” He said while cupping your face and smiling

Felix -

You got into a fight with Demetri and stood beside Felix as you yelled at him. He was being stubborn and rude and you were just not in the mood and snapped at him, you wanted to run forward and throw fists but Felix’s large arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you back into his chest. You realised it wasn’t worth it and just started crying, you turned around and cried on his chest as he shook his head at Demetri and told him to leave the room. Comforting you in a quiet way as he’s not very good with such topics.

Benjamin -

While everyone was enjoying the camp fire before the possible fight you had disappeared which caught his attention. He followed you off to a secluded area and noticed you sit down on a rock and fiddle with the snow. He noticed the tears building up and walked over to you, asking if you were alright, which you replied with by telling him you were scared. He nodded in agreement and hugged you, your head laying on his stomach considering he was standing and you were not.

~”I won’t let anyone touch a single hair on your body. I promise you that Sweetheart.”

Caius -

Everyone had left for the time being so you entered the thrown room believing you were alone to lean on the double doors, letting your emotions out as you cry. Obvious to the familiar vampire sitting on his thrown in thought on how to react to you. He eventually got up and walked down the steps towards you, you heard his black shoes tapping on the ground and nervously looked down knowing you were caught. He lifted up your chin to make you look at him and he ordered you to tell him what was upsetting his “princess/prince” as he called you.

Sam -

As he walked along the beach to find you, he wasn’t expecting the sight he saw. You were cut and just sitting there crying. He ran over to you and asked what happened when you told him how you had got into a fight with Leah he got angry. He wanted to tell her off but seen how badly injured you were. He felt angry but kept it in and carried you back to his place and laid you on his bed, doing everything in his power to make sure you’re alright, even if that means he has to ring the vampire (Carlisle) over to help you. He would do anything to make sure you’re okay and happy.

Paul -

Paul could sense the pain in your chest and could see how sad you were recently. How much you had been stressed with final exams. He has heard you crying in the bathroom of Sam’s house when he was there and felt sick to his core, as soon as you came out he grabbed your waist and pulled you into a hug, kissing the top of your head, rubbing your back and reminding you of how strong and talented you are. He was a softie for you and didn’t care otherwise.

Embry -

He spotted you looking down during classes, disappearing to the bathroom often, not wanting to go out anymore, the way you hide your body. He knew what was up but was obviously scared on how to approach the situation. But after talking to Sam he finally followed behind you into the woods and hugged you from behind. He took you somewhere only he knew about and once you were sitting against a tree together did he hold your hand and ask about how you felt, listening intensely as you spoke about your problems, kissing your insecurities and loving every part of you.

Jared -

He would be slightly oblivious to your feelings until he saw you not eating. It worried him and when he noticed the guys putting food in your face and forcing you to try and eat, he could see the tears in your eyes. Dragging you out of the house and sitting outside under shade so you don’t get wet from the rain, he sat with you and gave you a muffin.

Oh Embry. It'd been a few months since I'd seen him last. He'd cut his hair and somehow grown half a foot in a few weeks. Being close friends growing up sharing shy kisses on the very beach that I now worked at... then not speaking for months. To say it was awkward would be an understatement. It had been a task to not face him in the past few months but going into the back, restocking the shelves and hiding under the desk had been doing me extremely well. He’d cut me off completely after all. And that hurt like a bitch.

"Don't let him go out of his way, I'm sure I can get Kim to come and get me." Kim was currently at the movies with Emily.

"Ah here he is now, Embry love you are not wearing enough layers!"

"Sorry mom." He laughed coming into the shop. shaking off rain from his hair lightly, his tan skin smooth and glistening. His cargo's slightly drenched and Ms Call was correct he only wore a shirt and a thin jacket. Really thin. Like see the outline of him, okay I need to not think about him. I don't think I can do that. Alright focusing on the key chain on the desk. It's kind of cute.

"So, Embry's picking you up at 5pm, when you lock up remember to turn the stereo off dear." She smiled leaving a confused Embry at the shop door.

"No please it's okay." I tried to bargain, avoiding Embry's gaze. And failing. His eyes widened and he couldn't stop staring at me. Ms Call opened the door and tapped his shoulder. He'd just stopped staring at me, and I'd decided to take to staring at the whirling ocean.

"I'll be here at five." I could hear the grin in his voice. Why was he grinning? Why did it feel as if I were being pulled to him. Busying myself with the cd player and hearing the door close and turning around I'd managed to catch Embry driving away, a strong smile on his beautiful face. Wait beautiful? No Embry is strictly within childhood friend category. But God. Look at him. It felt as if my feet were pulling me to him. I turned on the stereo, connecting it to my phone it started playing When I was all over her, by Salvia Palth. Such a beautiful song. That fit this rainy day but felt like someone had stuck their fingers in a stab wound.

After loosing sight of them I felt this strangest emptiness within my lungs. Like I was short of breath, and I had been my entire life, the feeling only rectified when I was with him. No, I’m being insane. Literally insane.

But haven’t I known this my entire life?

Hasn’t every innocent touch and childish giggle led to this? Hasn’t Embry always been that warm reassuring shoulder I could fall onto? The kindness in his smile. The reminder that there will be a better tomorrow. The first foxglove flower to grow in spring, signifying a good hearty summer.

Foxglove was what we helped my grandmother plant outside our house when we were six. I still think of the pale pinks and blue even in winter. Living with my grandma meant my income was really the only income but she would get checks every so often for her books. Writing books on plants and their medicinal properties for the past forty years had kept her going but having my stream of income had helped a lot. However, most of it goes into savings. College doesn’t come cheap. She’d talked about Embry a lot recently saying how I should ‘just go over there and see his face’ which now I wish I had done sooner but I’m not sure why.

Living on the outskirts of Forks her whole life my grandma had grown alongside the elders on the reservation, I was friends with their grandchildren. I met Embry through Jacob, my grandmother adored him. Highschool and middle school were strange, befriending some people in forks and then recounting everything to Embry on the weekend. I remember how my grandma would sit and braid mine, Embry and Jacobs hair on a Sunday morning every weekend in the summer holidays. I still can’t believe he’d cut his hair. It seems like he’s growing it out again which is good but why would he do it?

Three hours passed by slowly and gratuitously. Every minute pulling me along like it hates the next.

I was thankful for that, I guess. Then I wouldn’t have to face him so soon. Wouldn’t have to face what I felt towards him so soon. It should be that love I have held for him my whole life. Our love was a folk song. One that would be passed on the way it’d been passed to us.

When I was seven years old and the two of us went into the woods, we couldn’t have been more than half a mile into the vast wilderness, after climbing a tree I’d ungracefully fallen out of he’d held my hand the entire way home. It felt like it was just the two of us. We had started the journey saying we were going to Europe. On foot. Little bags with snacks and crayons. He’d braided my hair out of my eyes when I’d sat down, the broken arm causing a little too much pain for me. Telling me it wasn’t too far now as he kissed the tears of my cheeks. I can still feel his small hand in my smaller hand. It’d been a short walk, as we grew older, we’d walk and re-walked it over and over going further into the woods every time. It wasn’t a fearful place.

The people at my high school were afraid of it. I wondered if I would’ve been too if my grandma lived further away from it.

Time must have gone faster than I’d thought because next thing I knew the front door opens and Embry comes in. It’s raining even harder now. The ache in me had left, with all the warm air as he opened the door.

“Hey” he smiles. I feel calm. I wish I didn’t feel calm. I wish I could just throw thigs at him. Scream at him for ignoring me.

Instead of responding I realise I needed to lock up about twenty minuets ago.

“Shit.”

He called my name as I ran into the back. Locking up and grabbing my raincoat we wordlessly get ready to go. I come back and he’s watching the ocean. If I just ignore him as much as I can till, he drops me at my house maybe then he’ll realise how fucked up he’s acted towards me. Locking the front door, I prepare myself to run through the rain. Embry ran to the driver’s side and opened my door from within.

“I am sorry, you know.”

I don’t respond. I want him to know how I feel but for some stupid to God reason I can’t spit it out.

“There are some things I need to tell you. I’ve wanted to tell you since it begun but I wasn’t allowed.” He continued. Not starting the car. “But after seeing you today I found out you are the only person I really can tell.” It warms my heart then burns me. How dare he. I stuff down any sweet feeling and spit up my pride.

“it’s been four months and you think everything will be okay now?”

“I know I hurt you but...”

“Just drive Embry.” I cut him off. Being alone never phased me, I’d simply go into the woods or sit in the garden, but I hadn’t had the heart to lately. All the flowers and the beautiful trees reminded me off him and it made me feel so weak. It had made me feel lonely. And I hated that. He knew I hated that.

So he drove. The beautiful winding roads and tall trees.

A cd started playing, I recognised it. The song Shrike, by Hozier played. One of my favourites. I dug my nails into my hands. I always think of him when I hear this song.

“Stop!” I shouted. Screeching, the car pulled to a halt. There on the road directly in front of us was a dog. German Shepard. It’d clearly been injured.

“Shit” Embry muttered, seeing what I had spotted before him. I couldn’t blame him for that the rain was so thick.

“Open the back doors and help me grab her.” I said, my heart leaping from my chest. Before he could say anything in return I ran out of the car. Abandoning all thought and getting soaked to the bone. I felt the freezing cold before I felt my feet hit the ground.

Getting closer I heard little whimpers from the poor thing. Its back left leg twisted in a grim manner I wish I could unsee. My hands slowly reached for her. Staying within his eyeline I stroked her fur. Trying to be as soothing as I could be. Embry had run over at this point. Soaked to the bone from the rain.

“I’ll pick her up, hold on.” And before I could protest because this German Shepard was clearly a two-man job, Embry had picked her up. Putting her in the back of the car I scrambled for the extra blankets I knew Embry kept in the trunk. They’d been the ones I’d lain on with him. The ones we’d carry all the way to the top of a mountain on our hikes, we’d sit on them for our lunch halfway through. It all felt like a blur no words between us both just the heavy breaths of two kids, terrified about the life of this small, beautiful creature in our hands, when we’d both gotten back in the car, I’d grabbed my phone from my bag.

“The vets are open; they’re staying open for us.” I heard a hum of acknowledgement as he sharply turned the car around. Without thinking and only wanting to calm him down I placed my hand on his thigh. Looking back at the dog.

“Give her a name.” He’d said his own hand on top of mine now.

“Dottie” I practically whispered.

“Dottie is a nice name.” He was quieter now. I looked at him and pulled my hand away.

The ride was quick, but it felt long. It was the pained whimpers from Dottie and the strayed moment of Embry and me.

There was a man outside the vets, no doubt waiting for us. He was medium built, his long dark hair tied into a braid at the back of his head. He couldn’t have been older than 45.

Running over to us, he and Embry got Dottie out of the car.

I’d ran to the front desk inside the building, explaining where we’d found her and that I’d take her in if needs be. The woman at the front desk was mousy and thin faced. She smiled and placed her hand on top of mine.

“She’ll be alright, you two seem to have found her rather quickly. Go sit over there with your friend and just wait.” She smiled, a thin lipped one. Her golden earrings shimmering in the static lighting of the vets.

I turned seeing Embry sat on one of the thin, white plastic chairs. Sitting next to him I felt all the air push out of my lungs. It’s like I collapsed into myself.

“That was an eventful ten minutes.” He sighed, breaking the silence.

“it really was.” Silenced filled us up again. Like a solitary leaf on the last day of Autumn.

“We should go to my house after.” He looked at me. Taking in my soaked figure, rain seeping through me. “It’s only five minuets away and well my mom wouldn’t forgive me if I sent you home soaking wet.” He joked, laughing abit. I laughed too, she really wouldn’t. “Plus, you have clean and more importantly dry clothes in my room.” He added, looking away from me. We both had spare clothes at each other’s houses. We had been best friends for almost two decades, of course we did.

“Fine.” Silence again and I cursed myself for being rude and curt when I saw his expression. Like I’d stabbed him. Embry had always felt everything so deeply, so unabashed. It’d always been true with him. He’d never lie about how he felt, even when he clearly wanted to.

“Look, I really can explain everything to you.” He breathed heavily, looking outside to the pouring rain, “You don’t have to forgive me for what I did but please here me out.”

“I don’t know what you could say to provide any reasoning as to why you left me.”

“I didn’t leave you.” He was getting defensive now. So was I.

“You did, I have been alone. Four months. You have ignored me. You have gone out of your way to seem like nothing happened. Being your new friends little lap dog. I get it. People grow apart. But I mean fuck you left me completely.” I finished my little rant. Angrily and stubbornly, I stared at him. Refusing to be the meek girl who immediately forgave the boy for everything he did. I resented him for that. For the fact I was angry. Despite my longing and yearning. I was angry. He was silent, pain flashing across his face. It hurt to hurt him so clearly but sometimes people need to get their feelings hurt to know what they have done is not okay.

There’s always another way. And he didn’t choose that. I tried, calling him. Visiting him. Asking his mom when we were working. I eventually took the hint and gave up but that doesn’t stop the persistent pain I felt.

Standing up as the vet came back in, he said one more thing to me, “I didn’t leave you.”

I scoffed, hoping he heard. He literally did. I can’t think of any way he didn’t leave me. But deep down, past the anger and resentment I knew he was telling the truth. I’d felt it. I’d also felt like a raging idiot, but I felt it. I don’t want to be mean. I want to hug him and love him. But all this pain is embarrassing. It’s annoying. Growing up Embry was one of the only people I would cry in front of. I wanted to cry now. I didn’t really focus on what the vet said. Only really registering anything when we got back into the car. The radio turned back on, John Wayne by Cigarettes after sex started playing. I gave him this cd. Burning all the songs on it myself… with Jacobs help but still.

“I’m sorry.” I forced myself to say. “I mean what you did was shitty, but I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No. you were right. I can’t just throw this on you.” He pulled into his driveway. “But I swear, this will all make a lot of sense. Just listen and ask as many questions as you want.” We ran to his porch.

“Mom! Can you bring us some towels?” We started shedding as many layers as we could before going in, we’d done this routine hundreds of times before. As kids Ms Call would get so annoyed at us for going inside dripping with water, saying we caused more trouble than we were worth.

She laughed when we got inside leaving the clothes on the safety of the porch.

“Look at you two, I swear you’re both eight years old again playing soccer in the rain.” Her smile was as warm as the house we were in. The smoothness of the hardwood floor beneath my feet was familiar and nostalgic. It’d had only been four months, but I could’ve sworn it was only yesterday Embry and I had skidded across these floors in our socks on a Saturday morning. Friday sleepovers were customary, it felt natural to be here on a Friday night. We started drying ourselves off, I only wore a t-shirt and the shorts I’d worn under my jeans for warmth, thankful for them. I used to wear little around Embry before this but since his absence and his… changes I felt intimidated. He was beautiful. No longer holding the softness of youth. He wore just his boxers, clearly unaware. Well, I was glad he was unaware. Going down the corridor to his room everything felt peaceful. The blue walls of his bedroom held so many pictures. I’d never seen this before. Some of him, Quill and Jacob. Some of Jacob and me. And lots of him and I. The one that stood out was me and him going down to the lake when we were kids, holding each other’s hands, his mom had taken it. That I knew. Seeing these up I looked at him, blushing he had clearly not thought about this.

“At least I know you didn’t forget me.” I joked as I went over to his computer. Spotify was already open, sitting down I searched for a playlist. He just laughed lightly and sat on his bed. It was a nice silence, sweeter than the one at the vets. Putting on one I’d made recently I moved over to his bed. I didn’t sit as close to him as I would’ve liked to, but his chest was so? Chiselled?

“Alright be honest have you been eating steroids because no human should gain this much muscle so quickly.” I poked his bicep, rock solid. What the fuck.

“That’s actually part of my explanation and no, no steroids have been ingested.”

Gold rush by Taylor Swift came on, I don’t remember adding it to the playlist. Embry must’ve noticed my light confusion.

“Oh, I added that to my queue before you got here” a beat of silence as I smile at myself, secret swifty. To be fair I felt like getting up and dancing to this song. It’s just so damn good.

“Should we get dressed or do you want to explain first?” I asked, wincing at how sharp the end came out. But he didn’t react how I thought he did. He started laughing. Like clenching gut laughing. “What?” I had started laughing too, not sure what we were laughing at exactly.

“It’s your shirt” He managed to get out through laughs. We’d both stopped laughing after a minute of heavy confused laughter. My shirt had a wolf, I’d got it for two dollars a few weeks ago and decided that it was horrendously ugly, and it was now my favourite shirt ever. It had a lone wolf howling at a yellow moon and all its teeth were blue. It was phenomenal.

 “What? This shirt is really cool! All the kids are wearing them!”

He’d started laughing again, I couldn’t help but join again. God it was such an ugly shirt.

“Not only is it just. Wow, so ugly but it’s kind of relevant to, like, what I have to tell you.”

Okay any theory I have has not only just been thrown out of the window but has been lost at sea.

“You started printing awesome t-shirts?”

“Oh, you wish.” He grinned.

“I do! Imagine all the free shirts I’d get!” This felt so natural. So… us. But then the air became serious as he stopped smiling and grabbed my hands. He was so warm, warmer than I remembered. Does memory minimise feeling? Was he always this warm? No winder he wore practically nothing to pick up his mom.

“Do you remember the old legends we used to get told about the tribe’s history and the cold ones?” I nodded, clueless as to where this was going. “Well, they’re true. Every single line. Completely and utterly true.” He no doubt saw the shock in my face. “The cold ones returned, and it forced some of us to… you know... phase.” He stopped waiting for my reaction. I couldn’t say anything. Furious at myself for believing him. Because I did. My grandmother had been talking to someone over the phone about the old tribal legends. I couldn’t stop my mind from whirling. I just squeezed his hand, hoping he'd keep talking.

“And, um, yeah it happened to me. And I couldn’t control it. Sam, the oldest one had taken us in and helped us transition, I guess. See I couldn’t be near you, any strong emotion triggered it to begin with and until I’d gotten it under control, I knew I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk hurting you. Sam had hurt Emily and he doesn’t forgive himself. But then I’d gained control over it. But I couldn’t bring myself to see you again.” He’d finished his word vomit. The lack of cohesion and the pained look in his eyes told me enough. His voice was just as naturally quiet as it always was, but the words came out faster and strained. Like he’d wanted to tell me this every day for months.

“Wait so” I took a deep breath in, regaining my focus and letting go of his hands. “You’re a… wolf?”

He nodded, he looked ashamed.

“Did it hurt?”

“I thought I was dying. I couldn’t breathe and every movement was a strained scream.” He looked away. “It was like I was losing myself. That’s when I put up all these photos.” Looking around I couldn’t help but smile. “The memories became like an anchor to not accidently phase.”

The silence that consumed us was one I’d never felt before. It was pregnant with something.

“You said before that you never left me, what did you mean?”

“I kept going to your house,” I looked at him, confused. There’s no way my grandma wouldn’t have said something. “I was in the treeline. I couldn’t sleep, scared the cold ones were going to hurt you.”

“The Cullen’s, right?” I shivered at the thought. I’d been at school with dead bodies? Like living dead people, gross.

“Yes. But they’re gone now. I promise.” I didn’t mention him not leaving me, it felt calming. I hadn’t left his mind; he hadn’t left mine.

“So, why the change of heart?” He looked away, scratching the back of his neck.

“Do you remember the second part of the legend?”

It took me a few seconds. Thinking back to the bonfires Embry invited me and my grandma too growing up.

“Oh yeah imprinting but what does- oh. Oh.”

“Yeah.” He looked heartbroken. Taking my shock as something negative. But I couldn’t really say anything. My heart was in my throat. Scratching and scarping my oesophagus. It felt like my lungs were filling with blood.

Suddenly, I felt like a small robin. Flying and soaring. A glamorous breeze guiding me home. The home was an open window, to blue walls and Embry. I was the tired snake sneaking into Eden to be with him. I was the tired coal miner coming home to his arms. We were the con artists, partners in crime that hid our love in the unspoken touches and glances.

“Do you want this?” I managed to push out of my throat. The idea of this being forced onto him made bile raise in my throat.

“I’ve always wanted this. Ever since we were kids. When I held your hand when you broke your arm. When we’d braid each other’s hair. When you would tell me random facts about plants and birds you’d picked up from your grandma. I’ve always been in love with you. I didn’t need to imprint on you to know that.” He looked at me, I fell into his eyes. If only this had happened a few months ago.

But I’m glad. Despite the pain I know that even without the imprint, I loved him.

“The imprint bond is whatever you want it to be. Please don’t feel forced into anything you don’t want.”

“But what if I do want it?” He froze, hopeful. “I’ve loved you forever. It’s stupid, annoying and painful but it makes me feel like the most amazing person in the world.” I don’t need to explain any further. I know he understands. Of course, he does, the only person that never just tolerated me, he always cared for me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you sooner. It’s stupid and childish but I was scared that I wouldn’t imprint on you.”

“Even if you hadn’t, I’d just be glad to have you back in my life.” I practically whispered. The rain was lighter now. The tree outside his window swaying in the wind. Singing to the earth the song of him and I. His smile felt as graceful as the strongest deer.

After more explanations and more reassurance from me, Embry finally relaxed. After he told me about Emily and Leah, what had just happened between us seemed so tame. I couldn’t wait to see Emily again. She and I would be the only imprints. I didn’t like the idea of having to keep this from Kim. I’d have to see how Emily kept it from both of us. It hurt deeply when I thought of Leah. How her entire life revolved around Sam, after what happened. Especially considering the unquestionable grief she is going through due to her father’s untimely passing.

“Do you wanna stay the night?” Embry asked, drawing stars on my thighs as we laid on his bed. Nodding I turned to face him, foreheads touching.

“Do you want to know something sad?” I asked. He whispered a small yes to me, “I thought you’d left me and” I struggled to get it out, heart rebreaking at the memories. “And I thought all the love we had was a delusion, a fantasy. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, hand on my face as he started crying. I cried too. It wasn’t just sadness, we cried relief. It felt as if I’d been dusted off. Like some omnipotent being had picked me up gently, assuring me all will well.

I think I feel just as much as Embry does. I think I always have. Maybe that’s why I took this gap year. Of course, I needed to save up for college but… I could’ve just worked and studied. But I needed to be here. I feel so much. So all-consuming it becomes an amalgamation of thoughts. Love is the most confusing emotion. Like anger. The anger I felt towards him was the secondary emotion. All anger is. I was sad. I missed him like a rich man misses hunger. Like the bird misses the first flight. Like a deer misses the leaves every winter. I missed ferociously. I missed him with a vigorous anger of a wailing woman. I became a horror. The emptiness of waking on my own a Saturday was gone. I no longer felt hollow. I felt real.

The night was intimate touches, clumsy movements and immense love in a way we have never experienced before. Never imagined to cross that line of friend to this. By the end of the night we held hands and breathed heavily, Sesame Syrup by Cigarettes after sex being the last song playing before we drifted asleep, it was fitting. Even if neither of us smoke.

The next morning was so bright. All the rain had given the grass this sensational glow. Ms Call had called my grandma last night, no doubt the pair gossiping like excited kids. I felt at peace. My entire world had been recentred when I awoke in his arms. Getting changed into the jeans and sweater I had in his closet I silently creeped through to the kitchen. Getting closer I heard light music trilling through the small house. Ms Call was dancing around the kitchen as she made breakfast. Noticing me she laughed pulling me into her, we danced and cooked. I told her about Dottie, how scared I was. How weak she seemed. But that the vet texted me late last night that they had found her owner, an elderly man who had missed her dearly. She was home. Frail and injured but no longer scared.

Embry wandered into the kitchen confused at all the noise. His eyes heavy with sleep, movements soft and low. His smile gleaned as he saw us. Despite his downright horrible dancing skills, we both pulled him to dance with us. It’d been as if my absence echoed and pained Ms Call as much as it did her son. We danced all morning, after eating breakfast Embry and I decided to go down to Port Angeles to grab Ms Call some flowers and to get some more cd’s for his car. He had told me the acidic feeling he had gotten in his throat when he went to buy them on his own.

I was always a full person without Embry, but with him I was enhanced. I was lively and focused. My movements weren’t the sluggish lugs they had been. He was a homeland. The beautiful village that welcomed me when I was shipwrecked.

embry’s pinterest board

AN/: hello! this was an absolute joy to write! I incorporated a lot of my music taste and some vague background to the readers life. I am absolutely ignoring writing an essay for uni right now. I expect very little action with this, I'm not sure how many people will read for my best boy Embry:(

I do have a part two I'm writing to explain more of the grandmother and Kim's imprinting from Jared! In this Bella doesn't get back with Edward, sorry but I just cannot write for that I don't see any chemistry at all between them. I rewrote a bit of Shifter Lore for the tribe in this as SMeyer's is extremely insensitive and I hate strongly how she made them cut their hair. I basically dislike Smeyer. I have made a spotify playlist with all songs mentioned and other songs that remind me of you and Embry, lmk if anyone wants me to share it :)

“I know, but it was big, Chris!” Skylar replied. The worry was fully evident in her voice. “I was on my way to the reservation when I saw the Wendigo. It could have been three times my size. Merlin knows how many people it has already eaten.” She stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at her brothers. “We have to stop that thing before any more people die.” Determination now flashed in her eyes. With a nod of confirmation from her brothers, Skylar turned back in the direction the Wendigo had gone. 

Christopher and Morgan gave each other knowing looks and continued to follow their little sister. 

Wendigos are creatures born from greed and starvation. Spirits of native folklore, who have possessed many humans that have indulged in cannibalism. The frequency of possessions consistently increased in the winter, when food was scarce. However, a wendigo’s appetite can never be satiated. 

They had never seen their sister so frantic. Skylar came flying through the front door, screaming of a Wendigo in the forest. She had run up to the attic, leaving them in a confused state. Moments later, she reappeared with their family’s book of shadows, telling them how they needed to hurry. 

It has now been ten minutes since Morgan had apparated the trio to the general area Skylar had last seen the Wendigo. Since she was riding her broom, she was able to fly away before it could sense her. However, Skylar feared her friends wouldn’t be able to do the same. While she may have been heartbroken by her friends' actions, she still did not wish for them to face death. If they were to face death, it would be by her hand. 

Gripping her satchel tighter, she quickened her steps. 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 

It has been over an hour since Skylar's last phone call. 

Quil could not stand ignoring his friend. He had broken his promise to her. Guilt slashed into him as every minute passed. 

Quil sat on the floor of his bedroom, contemplating whether or not he should disobey his alpha’s orders. His already small room became smaller with each breath he took. 

He still could not believe what had happened to him. 

Quil was walking past Embry and Jacob, once friends before they dropped him and Skylar off the face of the earth. He wasn’t a confrontational person by nature, but his anger had reached its boiling point. 

One moment he was calling out to them, the next he was barking and howling. 

Quil had known about the tribe legends. However, he had only treated them as such. Nothing more than stories to be told at a bonfire. 

Stories he would once laugh over with his friends. Friends who had abandoned him now asked him to leave the one friend who showed loyalty. 

His eyes burned with the tears he had been holding back from frustration and anger. Hugging his legs closer to his body, he dropped his head to his knees with resolve.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 

Patrol was more quiet than usual. 

The tension from Quil’s pleas still hanging in the air. 

Jacob and Embry walked side by side in silence. Their wolf forms leaving heavy paw prints on the snow. Both of them wanted to see Skylar as well. However, going against direct orders was not an option. 

They had left Quil at his house an hour ago. Sky had been calling. It physically hurt both of them to ignore the call. To ignore their childhood friend. But if it meant keeping her safe from themselves and the dangers that this new world brought, they would keep her at a distance. 

Embry let out a shaky breath and glanced at his friend. Being the first one to shift, he experienced the heartache that was caused by the rift. He knew what Jacob was feeling and he knew what Quil was feeling. However, merely the thought of accidentally hurting their friend caused his hurt to split in two. 

“Do you think Quil will do anything rash?” Even through the mind link, Jacob’s voice was thick with emotion. 

“Quil is the most rational one between the three of us,” Embry responded. “He will do what is right if he knows what is good for him and Sky.”

“That’s what I am worried about.” Jacob’s eyes meet Embry’s. “Quil will always try to do what is most fair and just.” 

As if on queue, the distant thoughts of their friend invaded their mind.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 

“I’m giving up.” Christopher’s tired voice rang out. 

“Are you kidding me?!” Skylar hissed. “We haven’t even been here two hours. You know this forest is big.”

“Calm down both of you,” Morgan interjected to make peace. 

“No!” Skylar barked. “My friends could be in danger and not just my friends but anyone who comes into this forest.” 

“Oooh, the so-called friends who abandoned you,” Christopher remarked. 

Skylar’s jaw dropped in shock. “That was out of line,” she mumbled. “You don’t get to say shit about my friends. Even if they are assholes.” Fuming, Skylar’s voice had raised to a dangerous level. 

The eldest pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a quick breath. “We need to stay focused.” Morgan attempted to advise. But it had fallen on deaf ears. 

“Why would you try to help people who don't even want to do anything to do with you?” Chris now matched his sister’s volume. “They are not the ones who had to hold you while you cried to sleep!” 

Morgan worried about what they could attract if the siblings continued on. They did not know what could be out in these woods and he did not feel particularly eager to find out. “Quite down-”

“You think I don’t know that!” Skylar snapped, her fingers twitching with the hurt of the truth her brother had spoken. She had no real reason to justify their actions, but she would at least remain loyal to the end. “I know what you have done Chris” her voice was quiet and dejected. She sniffed and continued. “I know what they have done. But that still doesn’t mean I should leave them exposed to danger. ”Skylar watched as her brothers' faces stiffened. “You-”

“Skylar that’s enough.” Morgan’s words were sharp. His eyes widened by the second.

“No-” 

“Sky seriously” Christopher’s voice was laced with urgency. His face drained of any color that had previously appeared from the anger that was building. 

The brothers slowly stepped back and reached for their wands. Recognition dawned on Skylar’s face. Her feet rooted in place. 

The siblings' breaths became increasingly shallow as the heavy footsteps came closer. 

Willing her body to move, Skylar slowly turned round to face what was coming near her.

Her limbs went slack from fear. Skylar fell to her knees as her legs lost strength.