SENSELESS : Jacob Black

17

"The Cullens," I say. "Why aren't their eyes red?"

"Vegetarians," Jacob says, lowering his head. "They only eat animals."

"That is not the definition of vegetarian!" I shout, my chest huffing.

In all my training in the convent, I hadn't learned that animals were enough sustenance for a vampire. The new information doesn't put me at ease. I get that it's not Jacob's secret to tell, but I poured my heart out to him and his roommates. I told them what the people who raised me believed, and they said nothing.

"Why would I be safe with you?" I ask. My voice is quiet as if stolen from me. I eye up Jacob, waiting for a response from him.

He takes a step closer to me, before grabbing my arm. "How about we all go to the Cullens right now, and see if they can help us. Alright?"

Even though I don't want to be in a car (if my knowledge is correct, vampires are as fast as cars) I nod my head, "okay."

Embry takes us back out to his car. From there, Jacob calls the Cullens and lets them know we are coming, while I call Quil. He doesn't pick up the phone. I worry about the party guests. Would she be able to take them all out at once? Are all those good people safe?

After that, it's half an hour in silence. I am ruminating on all of the thoughts trapped in my head. The people who raised me are right. Vampires are real. One is hunting me. There is nothing that I can do about it.

I try to distract myself by running my hands over the fabric seats. They are rough and itchy. It's not exactly calming. I place my head against the cool glass of the windshield, not daring to look out of it.

"We're almost there," Quil tells me.

He's right. We pull up within two minutes. From there, we unload from the car, and they rush me inside. Jacob doesn't even bother knocking; once he is at the door he opens it and we are there.

"You stink," Alice says, pinching her nose.

She runs up to me and offers me a hug. My body goes stiff when she touches me, feeling how cold her hands are through the fabric of my dress. I remind myself they consider themselves vegetarian.

"What happened to your dress? I doubt you'll be able to get out the grass stains. And why'd you leave the wedding so early?" she finishes, pulling away to look at the others.

"She figured out she's being hunted by a vampire," Jacob says.

Alice looks at me and offers me a sad look. "So, she knows everything?"

"I know about you and your family," I tell Alice. "So yeah, everything."

She guides us into the living room, where the other Cullens have already gathered. Alice gestures for me to take a spot in the lounge chair. I sit, opposite the others, feeling nauseous. Jacob and Embry stand behind me.

"So," Carlisle says on the couch. "Tell us exactly what you know."

I bite my tongue, but I explain everything, from the convent that raised me, to the vampire that is hunting me. I even double-check to make sure the facts I know about vampires are true. They're strong, inhumanely so, and quick as lightning. They're beautiful, even if that beauty is at times unnerving. There's not much to cover, but they have a few questions about my convent.

"Have they ever successfully killed a vampire?" one of the Cullen boys asks.

"So I've been told," I answer, looking at my hands.

"Humans can't kill vampires," Bella says.

Carlisle straightens his back, "that doesn't mean they can't try."

The convent has been trying. Since my birth, they have been without success. They send out search parties, leaving a few in charge to care for my generation. No vampires have even been located during this time. It's part of the reason I suspected that they aren't real.

"Do you know about our special abilities?" Alice asks. When I shake my head, she continues. "I can see into the future. Not all vampires can, but I do."

"It's what happened while we were driving," Bella clarifies for me. "Alice had a vision."

I guess it makes sense. It makes more sense than narcolepsy anyway, since people with narcolepsy shouldn't be driving. I look back at Jacob. His hand tightens around his cane. I wait for him to say something, to elaborate, but he doesn't.

"I had a vision that day, of the vampire who's hunting you," Alice says.

I pick at the chair, staring at the more than half a dozen Cullens staring back at me. It's been a long night and I'm exhausted, but even if I had the opportunity to sleep, I doubt I could. All of this is making me too anxious.

"Can you tell us anything about her?" Carlisle asks. "Has she ever spoken to you?"

"She has, but not about herself," I say. "I even asked for her name and she wouldn't give it to me."

All of their eyes are on me. Is their hearing strong enough to hear my heart pumping? I glance out of the living room at the trees. She's out there, somewhere, I bet. Her plan is not just to kill me, but to petrify me. I don't want to let her win, but now I'm trapped in a room with a bunch of people I've been trained to kill, and my panic levels are rising.

"She wants to toy with me," I tell them. "Killing me is like, a game to her."

"She doesn't want to kill you," Alice says. "She wants to turn you."

I meet her eyes. They are no longer golden, but a darker brown. I can't help but feel like I've walked into the lion's den.

"What?" I blink. "It's because of my convent, isn't it?"

Carlisle shrugs, "it's possible, but she might be trying to build a coven of her own. Do you think you have any unique or special abilities?"

"Like, besides my combat knowledge?" I ask. "No. Nothing."

The woman in the room that I don't know sighs. "This is going to be difficult."

Jacob grabs my shoulder from behind me. At first, I think it's to steady his balance, but then he doesn't let go.

"We're going to send you home," Carlisle says. "We'll be on the lookout for her, but for now, you should get some sleep."

I want nothing less than to go to sleep. Someone is hunting me, trying to turn me into one of them. To make matters worse, the only people who can help me are just as dangerous, just as carnal. On top of this all, I'm forced to face the facts; my parents and their convent aren't wrong. Vampires are real.

They are out to get me.

~~~~~

I know that this isn't short, but it feels short. Cat's out of the bag now. Still no werewolves, but I'm excited for that. It should be coming up soon!

For now, do you have a favourite moment of the book so far? Let me know in the comments.