I didn't make you guys wait too long, did I? If I did I am truly sorry. Here we go then, Chapter 20. Will this series ever end?


The first chance I got I visited Charlie. I got a shock when I visited Charlie. Jacob and Billy were there, Jacob sitting on the hospital chair and Billy in his wheelchair. The biggest shock was that Charlie was sitting up, laughing and joking. This man had just had a fit yesterday and here he was telling dirty jokes to his best friend and his son. Jacob was the first to see me standing in the doorway and watching them with wide eyes.
“Hey Kayla,” he greeted me with a big grin and scooped me up into a bear hug.
“Jacob,” I gasped. “Air!”
He put me down and grinned sheepishly.
“Boy, you don’t know your own strength.” I told him, rubbing my ribs.
He shrugged and I walked in and sat on the end of Charlie’s bed.
“Kayla,” Charlie beamed at me. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” I answered smiling. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” he answered. “The CAT scan came back clear. Dr Cullen’s just keeping me in for observation.”
“That’s good,” I said.
“Yeah, it is,” Charlie replied. “I might be home tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” I repeated. And it was. Edward had been acting funny with me since Jacob left yesterday. I didn’t know why but I was sure it was about what I had said to Jacob. He would have been able to hear it. All of them would have. If only he would speak to me about it then I would be able to set him straight. Explain to him what I mean but as always Edward keeps it to himself. He doesn’t even think about it.
“So, Charlie,” Billy said. “They treating you right in here?”
Charlie and Billy launched into a conversation about poor hospital food and the lights going out at ten o’clock and not any good channels on the small TV.
“So how are the blood-suckers?” Jacob asked me in a whisper.
“Stop calling them that.” I whispered back.
“Fine,” Jacob said. “How are the leeches?”
I folded my arms across my chest and huffed at him. I turned my head to the side and refused to look at him.
I saw him roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye. He thought I was over reacting. Jacob leaned over and unfolded my arms. He used one finger to turn my head straight to look at him.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll stop using those words around you.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at him.
He grins at me, glad that I am happy.
“How is you, wolf?” I asked him.
“I is great,” he answered, laughing at my bizarre speaking.
That was something the little pretend gangsters in England used to go about saying. ‘How is you, blud?” “I is great, blud!” Oh well, it was funny in my head.
“So,” Jacob suddenly looked nervous. He ran his hand through his hair.
“So what?” I said, watching him carefully. He wanted to ask me something, I could see it in his mind.
“Why do you love Edward?” he blurted out in a quiet whisper.
I had not expected that. I glanced at Charlie and Billy, who were still engrossed in their hospital conversation.
I looked back at Jacob and he was waiting patiently. I looked down at my hands and back up at Jacob. I had truly no idea how to answer that question. Why do I love Edward? For one thing he is absolutely stunning but it’s not just about looks.
“His eyes which are like liquid gold,” I said, softly. “His smile that never fails to dazzle me. He is over protective and over thinks everything but it isn’t a negative thing. It is rather sweet because it is always me he is over protective with. And when he over thinks it usually involves me too. I never feel cold when he holds me but rather the warmth of his heart. He is caring and loving which is something I know you wouldn’t expect from a vampire. And he loves me.”
Jacob was silent. I guess he couldn’t argue with what I had just said.

I was still at the Cullens and there was still something wrong with Edward. As much as he had denied it there was something bugging him and it didn’t help that his eyes were now black. I hadn’t noticed his eyes much because of my worry for Charlie but now that I looked at Edward carefully, his eyes were like onyx. He was going to go hunting with Jasper and Rosalie and leave me with Alice. Alice was jumping with excitement. She thought she was going to get to dress me up and play with my hair. Now I knew how Barbie dolls must have felt.
Edward was holding me tight and kissing as much as my skin as possible. He didn’t want to leave me and I didn’t want him to either but he really did need to hunt or he would be very cranky. Men and their food.
“Be careful,” Edward whispered in my ear.
“I’ll try,” I whispered back, kissing his cheek. “But you have left me with Alice. She might make-up me to death.”
He chuckled lightly in my ear. He pressed his cold lips to mine and then he was gone. I pouted at the empty space in front of me.
“They’ll be back soon,” Alice said, materialising beside me.
I jumped and she laughed.
“Jebus, Alice.” I clutched my racing heart.
“Come on,” she snatched my hand from my heart and pulled me to the stairs.
“No.” I yanked my arm back and she stopped. “You are not dressing me up like a Barbie doll.”
“I’m not going to,” she said and she grabbed my hand again.
“Good,” I said, letting her tow me up the stairs.
“That’s for later,” she looked back and smiled angelically at me. When she smiled like that she did look like an angel. But I swear that girl’s halo was held up by horns.
She dragged me into her room and sat me down in a seat in front of a dresser. On the dresser was everything that was hair related. Straightening irons, curling tongs, clips, hair bands. I even saw some hair dye. You name it she had it.
“No,” I shook my head. “Alice you are not dying my hair.”
“Kayla, don’t be a spoil sport.” Alice picked up a brush and she began to brush my hair.
“I like my hair colour,” I told her. “I prefer it the way it is.”
“Are you sure?” she asked me. “I could dye it blonde?”
I watched in the dresser mirror as she brushed my raven black hair. I tried to picture myself blonde but I just couldn’t see it. And anyway, Edward liked my hair colour. I peered into my green eyes and tried to imagine myself with golden eyes like Edward and Alice. I wondered what I would be like as a vampire. Would I be as beautiful as Alice had pictured me? Would I have special little powers like Edward and Alice? Would I be able to keep my own telepathy and telekinesis if I became a vampire?
“There’s my favourite little human!”
“Emmett! Go Away!” Alice shouted.
I looked away from the mirror and saw Emmett standing in the doorway of Alice’s room.
“Hi Emmett,” I said, smiling at him.
“You owe me, Kayla,” he said.
I tilted my head, confused by what he had said. What did I owe him?
“A fight.” Emmett punched the air at me. “While Edward’s away, Kayla can play.”
Before I could answer Alice threw the brush down onto the dresser. She turned to face Emmett.
“No Emmet,” she said, sternly. I thought she was going to stop him. Tell him how dangerous it would for me if we were to fight. “This is my turn to play with Kayla. You know how Edward always hogs her.”
“No Alice,” Emmett said. “She promised me she would fight with me and this is the only chance we’ll get.”
“Edward’s away for three days,” Alice said. She picked up the brush again and resumed her brushing. “You can wrestle tomorrow.”
“But you know Edward; he’ll probably come back tomorrow because he misses her.”
“It’s my turn with Kayla, Edward said so.”
“I don’t care what Edward said. We are going to fight.”
“It’s my turn!”
“Hey!” I said, loudly. “For the last time; I am not a Barbie doll! I am not something to be played with. I will choose what I want to do.”
“You tell him, Kayla.” Alice nodded. “Tell him you want to stay with me.”
“Like I want to be treated like a doll,” I said to Alice.
I stood up and the brush fell from Alice’s hand.
“You can’t possibly be serious about fighting Emmett!”
“Of course she is!” Emmett said, smiling broadly. “Come on Kayla!”
I turned to Alice.
“Look, let me have one round with Emmett,” I pleaded with her. “And then you can dress me up in whatever you want. You can put as much make-up on me as you like and you can do what the hell you like to my hair.”
Alice’s face which looked outraged turned to complete joy.
“Really?” she said, her face shining with happiness.
“Yes.” I nodded enthusiastically.
“Go on then, one round though.”
“Yes!” Emmett punched the air. “Come on!”
He zoomed away from Alice’s door and I followed him. He ran deep into the woods and I followed him easily. He stopped in a small clearing and turned to face me.
“Ready?” he said, grinning devilishly.
“Come on then, Emmett,” I said. “Give me your best.”
It would be really easy to fight and beat Emmett. He relied on his strength and probably didn’t use any logical thinking when he fought. It would be easy to win. All I had to do was jump.
Emmett gave me no warning as to when the fight would start. One minute he was grinning at me the next he was charging. I jumped swiftly to the side and he ran straight past me, just as I had predicted. When Emmett realised that he hadn’t run into me he turned round. I smiled and waved at him while he looked astounded at me. But then he ran at me again and this time I jumped to the nearest tree and scaled it to the first branch. Emmett ran straight under the branch and when he realised again that he hadn’t run into me, he stopped. But when he turned around I wasn’t there. He walked forward a little searching for me and I jumped down and onto his back. I put my teeth on his neck, something I had seen Edward do with the newborn.
“I win,” I whispered.
I jumped off his back and he turned round.
“That wasn’t a proper fight,” Emmett grumbled.
“I won,” I said. “If I was a vampire you would have no head.”
“I want a rematch.” Emmett was a sore loser.
“You heard Alice, one round.”
I shrugged my shoulders and walked past him. I wasn’t going to disobey Alice. She may be small but that girl could get nasty. And I wanted to keep my kneecaps.
“Scared I’ll beat you,” Emmett goaded.
I turned around to face him. He was smiling at me, egging me on.
“I could beat you with my hands behind my back.” I told him.
“Come on then.”
Emmett bent low into a crouch. It seemed he would be using his brain rather than his brawn this time.
I mimicked him and I waited for him to attack. It didn’t take long. Emmett ran at me hard and fast, trying to take me by surprise. I waited for him to get close enough then I kicked him, with all my strength, in the chest. He staggered back and almost lost his balance. I lunged at him and locked my legs around his waist. My face was level with his and he stared at me, his gold eyes shocked.
“I’m stronger than I look,” I said, smiling.
“No kidding.”
I put my hands either side of his head and turned his head gently.
“I would break your neck now if you were the enemy.”
Emmett didn’t reply. He took his hands and he shoved me backwards. My legs were locked tight around him so I didn’t fall to the ground. My hands let go of his head and I used them to catch myself on the ground. It was like I was doing a handstand yet my legs were around Emmett. I unwrapped my legs from around him and let them fall to the ground. I righted myself quickly and faced Emmett. Before he could defend himself, I punched his face fast and hard and as many times as I could. The punches sent him back a couple of paces and it was a few seconds before he could stop me. He grabbed my hand mid-punch and he lifted me up. My feet were a few feet off the ground and in any other circumstances I would have laughed but not now. Emmett dropped me and I landed with a thud. As I was on the ground I used it to my advantage. I whipped my leg round and knocked Emmett’s legs out from underneath him. He landed with an even louder thud that shook several trees. I stood up and put my foot on Emmett’s neck. I laughed at him. He thought he could beat me but I had just won again. He glared up at me and I laughed again.
Emmett’s fall that shook the trees must have awakened something because there was a rustling sound. I looked down at Emmett and he was looking at the trees in front of us. There was a soft thud, as if paws had just landed on the ground. I removed my foot from Emmett’s neck and he stood up. He nudged me behind him and positioned himself protectively. I didn’t know what was in the trees but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be nice. We listened hard and could hear the sound of paws marching towards us, fast. We braced ourselves ready for an attack from a wolf or a mountain lion.
“Whatever it is, you let me handle it.” Emmet whispered.
“Emmett, I am not letting you take it alone,” I whispered back.
“I can take it.” Emmett flexed the muscles in his arms. Whether to prove something to me or prepare himself for the attack I didn’t know but I crouched low behind Emmett anyway. I would not sit this out. Emmett was my friend and I would help him all I could.
What burst through those trees was not something I thought I would ever see in Forks.