Howling Moon

Author's notes: This new chapter was originally very short, and I didn't realize it WAS so short until I took a look at it. I decided that I would go ahead and tack on the first part of the next chapter to kinda beef it up a bit.

Also, I'm not sure how imprinting feels to Jacob, honestly, since I haven't even finished the third novel. (I'm a quick reader, but reading and writing at the same time is, obviously, difficult.) So, I'm going with the concept of "Recognition" from a popular comic called "Elfquest". When I first read about imprinting, that was the first thing I thought of. Also... If you can catch a classic anime reference within this story, you seriously deserve a cookie. :P



RESPONSE TO REVIEWS

Caliha: LOL! No, I'm not a full Native American; only about 1/4 Blackfoot, so I don't know what really goes in a spirit bag, much less if the Quileute Tribe even uses spirit bags. I only looked up a few herbs on the internet that are generally used for good health in hopes that perhaps it would make a little sense, but I guess it doesn't. What -does- go in a spirit bag? I would actually like to know!

Brenda: Thanks! I appreciate it! I'm hoping that, as I finish the "Twilight" novels, I'll be able to have a little bit more insight into Jacob.

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The week seemed to soar by for me; I had been to the Cullens to baby-sit Nessie for a few days while everyone hunted, and upon their return Alice sent me out with Edward, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett for what she called 'male bonding time'. It was interesting, to say the least, as the four of us roamed around a sporting goods store. Edward had helped me pick out a baseball cap, and Emmett and Jasper seemed almost too excited to see how I would fare in a game of family baseball. Carlisle was mostly quiet, but pleasantly so, and soon offered us out to a movie. I felt a little weird, sitting in the crowded theater with four of my former enemies, especially when we had gone to see the most recent 'Underworld' movie. The five of us ended up leaving the theater with quiet smirks on our faces, and all but snickered the rest of the way home. It had been a pleasant trip, and while I thought that vampires still smelled horrible, I was slowly getting used to being friends with them all for Bella's sake; I was slowly coming to see what she had seen in them: they were good and wholesome, despite their unusual looks and eating habits. Carlisle was a quiet and wise father-figure, Emmett was the classic happy jock, Edward was the silent brooding type, and Jasper was just... Jasper. He was difficult to read, as usual, but he had his moments of slipping something witty into a conversation.


When we all arrived back at the Cullen residence, Alice had spared no expense in decorating the place to what she had hoped was my tastes. The decorations were clearly Native American, and the little wolf silhouettes pasted around the house seemed to be her little way of trying to make me feel a little more welcome in their home. The party was small, and while Billy refused to attend (old habits died hard, and I knew that feeling well), he still had the right mind to give Charlie a call to send along his message of begrudging thanks. Outside of La Push, I really didn't have too many friends that weren't considered family, so being able to have my own little celebration away from home was refreshing. The party was casual and eventually the tension that was still somewhat evident between the Cullens and I had completely disappeared by the time it was over. I felt elated and happy as I rode home on my motorcycle, the presents the Cullens had given me safely tucked into the saddlebags. From them all, I had received a baseball cap, cleats, an aluminum baseball bat, a uniform with 'Wolf Boy' stitched across the back, and a pair of tickets to a baseball game to bring home to my father. All in all, I had made out like a bandit and had finally felt like one of the family, for the first time, and I was happy about it.


When I roared up to my house, I parked the bike out front and toted my loot inside, anxiously telling Billy all about the party and showing off the gifts that the Cullens had given me. I brushed off the slightly disapproving look Billy gave me and showed him the tickets. He grumbled a bit and hid his secret happiness over the tickets; it had been forever since he and I had gone to see a game together. I'm sure he vowed to secretly tell Carlisle 'thank you' the next time he saw him in town.


The rest of the week dulled in comparison to the first few days of it, but I occupied my time by sprucing up the rabbit a bit and tinkering around with my bike. Billy was out with Charlie somewhere, probably watching the game on the flat screen at his house, so I was left alone at home with nothing else to do. I had my dusty old radio blaring on a sawhorse nearby as I started to work, but was soon interrupted by a throat clearing; if it wasn't for my excellent hearing, I might not have heard it and it almost sounded like a squeaking mouse, at first. I rolled out from under the car and looked up to see Amelia standing just behind the door to the shed, holding an empty measuring cup in her hands.

I got up, dusting my hands off on my already oily shirt, and moved to the radio to turn it off. I smiled at her, my 'sunshine smile' as Bella called it, and spoke up.

"Hey! Amelia, right? Is there something I can help you with?"

Amelia wouldn't look me in the eyes, keeping her gaze down and her voice even lower.

"I... Just needed to borrow some sugar, if that's okay..."

I was a little startled and confused by how scared she sounded when she spoke, like she still thought I was going to bite her, but I continued to smile.

"Sure! Come on in, I'll show you where it's at."

I headed inside and Amelia followed quietly behind me. I could vaguely smell her fear while we were outside, but it was extremely potent once we were standing inside of my small kitchen. I washed my hands of the oil that was still left on them and then stuck my hand out to take the measuring cup from her. Amelia still didn't look at me, but seemed to stick the cup out, her arms stretching hard so that they could reach me. She was standing as far away from me as she could possibly get, and when I took the cup from her, she took two steps backward. Feeling a little put off, I pulled the sugar from the cupboard in silence and filled the cup with sugar before turning back to her. Carefully holding the cup in both hands, I tested my theory of her fear and stepped closer to her, holding my hands only slightly outward for her to take it. Amelia hesitated, her eyes still downcast, and took a few timid steps forward, but didn't get close enough to take the cup.

"I'm not gonna bite you," I said with a laugh, but held the cup out further for her to take. Amelia said nothing, but stepped closer to take the cup. In that split second, she looked up and into my eyes for the first time...


In that split second that her deep black eyes caught mine, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Everything that I was felt utterly exposed to her, as though every secret I had inside was poured into her mind in that one miniscule moment. I felt the air leave my lungs, leaving behind an ache in my chest that threatened to cut off the circulation to the rest of my body. Amelia stood frozen in front of me, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open, as though she were feeling the very same thing. Suddenly, she didn't look so plain, and I could see her as though I were seeing a dream.

Everything around me was hazy, and Amelia was the only thing in sight that seemed to be in focus. She was beautiful; her hair shimmered as though it were made of black, liquid fire, and her eyes were onyx daggers that pierced my soul with the ferocity of a shark's bite. Her face and lips were so enticing that my desire to capture them for my own was only quelled by my surprise at the thought. Bella, the woman who had haunted my mind from the very moment I had met her, was now pushed into the furthest recesses of my mind by the shocked girl before me. I knew what this was... The honest desire to take, to overpower and conquer her body, but all with the sweetest and most loving of care. Amelia's scent was overpowering to my nose, but she smelled of raspberries and cream and a mixture of something which I could not place and could only call 'Amelia'. I thought it smelled like Heaven.

The measuring cup of sugar fell from my hands when I raised them to my head, finally able to move. I cried out, and I know that it must have sounded horrible and loud to anyone who could hear it. The baring of my very soul to another person, and all so unwillingly, finally hit me like a ton of bricks and became so painful that my brain felt as though it were mush beginning to seep from my ears. The initial pain lasted but a second before it faded, and I felt inexplicably tied to the girl in front of me. I was breathing heavily, my lungs and throat burning from the deep and quick breaths I took. But, when my hands finally lowered and my eyes finally opened, I was alone in the kitchen. Sugar and glass glittered on the floor at my feet and all I could hear, now, was the sound of my own heart racing in my chest, my labored breathing, and the sounds of Amelia's retreat.


It took me a half-hour to recover from the initial shock. I had stood in the kitchen, staring into space the entire time before I finally had the right mind to clean up the mess on the floor. All I could hear in my head was Amelia's name, and my hands shook from fear as I carefully picked up the broken bits of glass from the floor.

I had imprinted.

It was the only explanation I had for what had just occurred. Amelia's soul had been bared for my eyes, and I knew all of her secrets; the same thing happened for me, hence the absolute pain I had felt and why I had not really felt it in my head, but at the core of my soul. I felt drawn to her, and I wondered if I could resist the pull in which the imprinting left me with; but I felt empty inside, a hollow shell, now that Amelia was no longer in close proximity. I could not reveal this to anyone, I vowed, and I would attempt to resist the pull of imprinting as much as I possibly could. I would avoid Amelia at all costs, and I hoped that she would do the same to me:

Stay as far away as possible, despite the overwhelming urge to do otherwise.