The forest floor is full of wet dirt and covered in dark green leaves. I give up on sprinting once I can tell Jacob isn't trailing after me. Instead, I jog through the forest. My endurance isn't what it used to be. I huff in the forest air rather than breathe. Two months is apparently two months too many for me to be out of practice.

I hear a scream, and I follow the direction it came from. Deeper and deeper into the forest. I was never good at my tracking classes; they were something Cedar and I would giggle through. He was a natural, but I was not, and I didn't care. It never seemed like it would matter.

There is a break in the trees in a grass clearing. Kamiko stands there, smiling at me. She holds Cedar in her arms. He claws at her skin, but it is impenetrable. In the sunlight, she sparkles.

"Hello," her voice is breathy and thin.

"Let him go," I call out to her. "This is between us."

She laughs, a witch's cackle scratching my ears, and I wish I couldn't hear permanently. Her teeth are nearly as pearly as her skin, but they aren't sharp. She's not nearly as scary as she thinks herself to be.

"Fawn Dubois," she recites my name like we're on a stage. "Of the woods you were born and of the woods, you will die."

"Leave her alone, you stupid bitch," Cedar manages.

She takes Cedar, holds him up with one arm and chucks him to the side. His body collides with a tree ten feet away and he crumples to the ground. I watch as he tries to stand, but collapses again. If I walk over to him, she will follow after me. I don't want to give away how much he means to me, or else she might take him instead.

I'm not ready to be a vampire, but I'm not ready to live with myself knowing I could've stopped something terrible. We cannot come back from the worst of our choices. They become us.

I'm trying to think, trying to bide myself some time. Surely the wolf pack will be here soon. What do I know about vampires? I'm not resigned to die. Selfishly, I want to live.

"You know, becoming a vampire will be an improvement," she tells me. "You're weak ears will be able to hear a butterfly's wings fluttering. They will hear every beating heart in a mile radius."

"That sounds exhausting," I tell her. I remember the car crash. I remember the terrible ringing I heard after it.

She shrugs, "you get used to it."

I throw my right hearing aid on the ground and she grabs my arm just as I stomp on it. She winces back in pain, letting go and stumbling backwards. I grab the hearing aid off the ground and hold it up to her. I can't hear it screech, but I know she can.

She grabs my hand and pries it open with her claw-like nails. She tosses my hearing aid into the woods. It goes flying, and I suppose its location is the least of my problems.

She tackles me and rolls me to the ground. As she is rolling down my sleeve, I kick and scream. She's going to do it. She's going to transform me.

Then, a rock hits her head.

She turns to see Cedar, standing. He takes a step closer, hopping on his good leg.

"What would upset you more?" she asks, looking at me and then at Cedar. "Him or you? What would upset your friends the most?"

"I'll tell you where the convent is," I explain. "There are 16 people there, ripe for turning."

"One shall suffice," she says. "And your so close."

She leaps up to grab Cedar, and a wolf jumps out of the woods, its teeth sharp and strong. Then there are more, encircling her. One spares me a glance, its eyes narrowing in. It shakes his head before going in for the pounce.

The pack is here.

I run over to Cedar and push him into the trees. He fights against me, but he trips over a log and lands on the ground. I pick him up by the collar of his shirt and pull him off the ground.

Cedar limps out of the woods with me, pestering me with questions. What's happening? Why are those wolves so big? Aren't werewolves extinct? Why aren't you answering my questions?

Even though I'm practically dragging him, he guides us out of the woods and back to Jacob's house. We limp through the backyard. Blood has crusted on his head from the fall, and he's covered in dirt. I'm sure I look no better. Eventually, we make it back to the house and open the door inside.

"Woah, who the fuck is that?" Quil asks.

"You aren't there?" I ask, looking at him and Embry, who are both sitting on the couch playing a video game. "Kamiko came."

"Shit," Quil mumbles. "Oh shit, Jacob's going to kill us."

Quil throws down his controller and pushes past me out the back door. Embry is quick to follow, only sparing a look at Cedar before he runs out as well.

Cedar turns to me and moves my parted hair into place. "Fawn, are you friends with werewolves?"

"Don't touch me," I swipe him away. "I told you to leave."

"So, they are werewolves," he says. I watch as he flexes his hand, the muscles tightening. He sighs and plops down on the couch. "You know, we're going to have to kill them."

"Just go home, before they rip your body to pieces," I tell him. "You can't kill a werewolf any easier than you can kill a vampire."

"Silver should do it," he points out.

"They don't even age, Cedar, I don't think a bullet is going to cut it," I sigh. He's more trouble than he is worth. He'll be back with swarms of the convent. That is if they even believe him. When the convent comes, they'll try to fight the wolves. They'll all die.

I can't handle any more people dying on my behalf.

"If you promise not to say a word of the werewolves, I'll come back with you," I can't tell if I'm lying or not. I could be, potentially. If I am, he'll bring the whole convent here to die. There's a risk, however small, that one of the shapeshifters get hurt.

Am I willing to risk it?

He shakes his head, "I don't know if I can do that."

"Do you want to get married tomorrow or not?" I ask.

He runs hands through his dirty, messy hair. A small piece of grass falls to the ground. It's so small, so peaceful, and yet I can feel the lights going out on my future. No more beautiful La Push. No more rainy days, or surfing, or the beach.

I can't give it up. I just need to discuss with Jacob what to do.

"Fawn, I don't recognize you," he says, "but it's best if you can come back with me. We will figure out our marriage later. In a few days."

"Give me tonight to say goodbye and pack," I tell him. "You're staying at the inn in town?"

When he nods, I nod.

"I'll meet you there," I tell him.

He purses his lips, looking me up and down. He reaches his hand forward and I shake it. We're a business transaction now. How can you care for someone so dearly and not recognize them? He's no more himself than his shadow is. An etched ghost, an outline of himself, without colour or feeling. It's been two months, and already, we are strangers.

I show him to the front door, which he leaves. I assume he'll walk up the road and call a taxi. I do not care. The gang and I need to come up with a plan that doesn't involve killing my parents and friends. It seems less likely than ever.

After a minute, I go upstairs and shower. My body is disgustingly dirty. The warmth brings me more solace than the water. I don't feel clean, not even once I'm done.

I get dressed. Though I want to wear something comfy, I put on a nicer outfit. If I'm unlucky, the whole wolf pack will show up here and demand a feast. I don't want to seem as though my head is still spinning. I still feel like I'm in that forest though, even in new clothes and even clean.

Jacob is nowhere to be found.

He wasn't in the yard when Cedar and I walked back here. He's not in the garage now. I don't check his room, even though I want to look. I'm sure he's in there, boiling, seething, his skin burning more than it already does. Maybe I shouldn't have abandoned him. Perhaps then, he wouldn't be quite so livid.

I sit in the room, anxiously awaiting their return.

Quil is the first to walk in. His head is down and he lumbers in like his body is too big for him. Embry shakes his head. When his eyes meet mine, he looks away just as quickly.

Jacob is last inside. He looks at me, with brown eyes.

~~~~~

Big reveal! He wasn't blind! Hopefully, it shouldn't come as too big of a surprise. Purposefully ambiguous leads to this moment lmao. Anywho, what would your reaction be to realizing he wasn't blind? I'm curious to see because Fawn's is coming up so soon.

Enjoy until I see you next!