Clarity // p.l

016

Pulling Bella from her reclusive self was still going steady, the female traveling her way back to her former table full of friends, Elise trailing behind. The group filled with different personalities were intent on talking about large animals, a wolf the nerdy girl with the small framed glasses, Angela bringing it up. "I swear it was huge and jet black, on all fours it was still taller than a human—a bear maybe?"

"It was probably an alien," Mike retorts, shoving fistfuls of fries in his mouth at a time. Elise recognized the pale blonde, he coming over a few times after football practice with Asher. "You're lucky you didn't get probed."

Ignoring the awestruck stares of her former friends who hadn't been able to get ahold of her in months, Bella took a seat, pulling up an extra chair for her blue eyes friend. "My dad's been getting reports at the station, like five hikers have been killed by some bear but they can't find the bear."

Angela hummed, sending a pointed look at her boyfriend, the scrawny asian boy Elise remembered from he first day of school, Eric. "Very funny, last time you scared my girlfriend."

It was clear that some members of the group—Jessica in particular wasn't all too pleased to see the awkward brunettes return, her disklike furthering at the pretty blue eyed teen beside her. Mike spoke first, more comfortable with confrontation than the others. "So, I mean, Bella's back?"

Blushing under the scrutiny of their eyes, Bella nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, since you're talking again and eating, I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie?"

"Yeah, sure."

Mike perked up at her complacency. "There's a couple new ones out, Love Spelled Backwards is Love, dumb title but it's a romance—"

Immediately turned off, Bella shook her head in disagreement. "No, no more romance. What about Face Punch?"

"That's an action movie."

"I know, guns, adrenaline, it's my new thing. We should all go, do you guys want to come with?"

Elise watched the emotions flash across Mikes face, sadness and annoyance at the fact that Bella clearly wasn't interested no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't even hear all of his friends agreeing to the invitation. "Yay, movie night with Bella."

Movie night wasn't much a group thing, Elise later realized, three of the other persons bailing, leaving Elise, Bella, Jacob and Mike. Both boys watched the oblivious brunette longingly while she continued about her business without so much as a second glance. "The two of you are pathetic and borderline sickening."

"You're feeling queasy too?" Mike pressed, one hand holding onto the brick wall of the movie theater, not even paying attention to her insult.

"More than you know." She let out a deep breath when Bella returned with tickets held in her hand. "Let's get this over with."

Face Punch lived up to its reviews, the acting sucked and the storyline barely made any sense, not to mention how cruel the boys were being to Bella, caging her body between them, their hands on both armrests palms spread open waiting for her to profess her undying love for them.

"I think I'm going to slop," Mike jumped from his seat, the green hue to his body obvious even in the darkness of the theatre.

The three followed behind, Elise holding back while Bella and Jacob had their moment, her body leaning against the cool wall until Mike came sluggishly out the bathroom his hair disheveled and throw up still lingering in the corner of his lips. "Well, I need to go home. I was feeling sick before the movie. What is your problem?"

"Right now, you're my problem." Jacob's face was stern, a expression Elise had never once witnessed, the usual pearly white smile he sported disappearing from sight. "Feeling sick? Maybe you should go to the hospital. Want me to put you in the hospital?"

Scrambling to separate the two and defuse the situation, Bella grabbed ahold of Jake's arm her face immediately scrunching up. "Are you okay? You're really hot, you feel like you have a fever?"

"I don't know what's happening, I've got to go."

Sharing a confused look with Bella, Elise volunteered herself to check on the teen, not wanting to be left alone with Mike. "Jacob," She ran after him, sliding herself into the passenger seat of his Rabbit.

"What are you doing in here?"

"You're angry and driving alone, not a very good combination, so I'm here to make sure you don't make any irrational decisions."

The whole ride back to La Push was unusual, the tanned boy breaking out into a heat sweat, his hands shaking and breathing increasing so much Elise was scared he would pass out. "Pull over," She insisted, jumping from the car to help him get out of his own. "Jacob what is happening?"

"I don't know, everything hurts." Her hand touched his shoulder making him snap at her. "Don't touch me." He seemed to growl at her, his body jerking from side to side until she could see the steam coming from his body until it wasn't Jacob there anymore but a giant russet haired wolf snapping his jaws threateningly at the air in front of him.

Elise was frozen stiff in place, her bright blue eyes wide with wonder and fear. "Jake it's me," She pleaded with him, the anger he seemed to harbor being directed towards her. She was terrified, scared that this would be it for her, this was how she was going to die. This is what she got for trying to be nice, making sure someone got home safe in his moment of anger and this is where she ended up, in danger in front of giant werewolf. "Please don't eat me."

In her moment of fear, her hands still held before her, Jacob's wolf crippled in pain, loud whines and yelps of anguish escaping his lips the longer her out pressed hands were stretched before her. His hurt noises continued as he retreated, his large paws fumbling over one another like a newborn calf. His warm russet body returned to normal, not a single trace of his wolf form present as he rolled on the cool cement. He was completely nude, thick ropes of muscle muscles tensing and flexing to ward off the final tingles of pain that had shot up his veins. "Jacob," Elise whispered, her hands resting at her sides as she slowly made her way over to him.

His clothes were flittered around them in broken shards far past repair. Her shaky hands did the first thing she knew to do, understanding that she would sound crazy. Her phone screen lit up, fingers tapping until she reached his name, she waited the two rings it took before his warm voice came though her ear. "Miss me already?"

"Jacob Black just turned into a giant wolf."

"Are you hurt? Elise get away from him before he hurts you."

Elise looked down at her hands and the symbols that etched themselves in her skin like the most permanent of tattoos, a reminder of what she'd done. Jacob wasn't the one doing the hurting. No, no, that was all her. "Please, help me."