Purple Sky by A. Teller (unputdownable books .TXT) 📕

“So… What’s the big surprise Jake?” I asked, seeing of my amazing breakfast would make him crack.

“It’s coming,” Jake said with suspense. Nate and Seth laughed quietly. They knew too!

“You guys are so unfair,” I whined. My hands went to work cleaning the dishes; I was fast.

“Guy code. We can’t tell,” Nate said, as though he had repeated something Jake told them.

“Well, ‘guy code’ sucks,” I said. “And it’s not ‘guy code.’ It’s wolf code.”

They laughed, but my surprise was still a secret, and I wasn’t amused. Seth and Nate left the house, telling Jake that they’d be gone for a little while. I caught Jake wink at them, and punched him for it.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“You know I hate surprises.”

“Not this one. Your definitely gonna like this one.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course, I didn’t believe him fully, but hey, I had to give him a chance. So I bet most people would wonder, “What does a half-human, half-vampire and a werewolf do all day?” Well, we usually go hiking, swimming, running, or anything else we can think of. Time doesn’t apply to us.

“So, whatcha wanna do today?” Jake asked.

“Umm…”

I never knew the answer to that. I never found something to be appealing unless Jake suggested it first.

“I got an idea…” Jake said, trailing off as he walked down the hall. I followed, wondering. “We’re going to Sam’s place,” he concluded.

What’s at Sam and Emily’s place? I wondered.

We reached the small house and were greeted by howls and yelling. The pack all rushed out to meet us; the group was only few. Most of the younger kids were either in school, or had moved on from Forks at this point. Ten years is a long time and many of the Quilluete boys that phased during our standoff with the Volturi had been given permission to move forward with their lives. Some of them moved town, some moved states away to live the normal human life. Ten years... Too long to stick around to the same town with the same nine vampires in it...eight and a half I guess.

“Have you told her yet?” Quil said, unable to contain himself. Paul elbowed him in the ribs.

“No, he hasn’t,” I said, looking up at Jake.

“It’s driving her insane,” Jake said, with a satisfied look on his face.

“You know, every second I don’t know, I’ll be expecting this surprise to be better and better.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Emily came out and hugged me, followed by Leah, who just walked passed me.

“She looks happy,” I said sarcastically.

“Leah needed some…girl time. Oh, and guys, there are donuts on the…” Before Emily could finish, they all rushed inside. Jake looked at me with his puppy-dog stare. “Go,” I permitted, rolling my eyes. He rushed in after them as I continued talking to Emily.

“So, where is this ‘surprise’ at?” I asked hopefully.

“No way. I’m not ruining this. I mean, Jake’s surprised that you don’t remember.”

A sudden rush of guilt came over me. What had I forgotten? Was it important? Was it hurting his feelings?

“It’s not anything to worry about,” Emily assured me. She could probably see the worry and guilt on my face.

“So…” Jake began, still stiffed with muffins. “Guess what we’re gonna do today?”

“What?” I asked bluntly.

“Football,” he replied, sounding out the word. My favorite sport to play with the pack. Football. It was always fun, running, tackling, but most of all, winning. There would always be two teams: My team, and Jacob’s team. Of course, everyone wanted to be on my team. But then again, Jacob’s best friends had to stick by him. Even when they’d lose ten to one.

“Excellent,” I said, with a small, evil grin on my face. The guys followed Seth, who ran out on the field holding the ball. I pulled my hair back, every strand becoming contained. I pulled off my scarf, rolled up my sleeves, and ran onto the field.

“Five on Five.” Jake called.

“Quil, Embry, Leah, Jared.” Jake often teamed with Leah, though I wondered if it was simply to keep her off my back, or give me and her some time to really beat on each other.

The four moved over to Jake’s side.

My turn. “Sam, Paul, Seth, Nate”

The other four moved to my side.

“Think you can handle Jacob, Sam?” I asked.

“With my eyes closed,” Sam winked.

We played the only way I knew how: no rules, no boundaries. Of course, I faked a sprain or two, since everyone usually forgot I was stone solid. Jacob had told me how delicate and fragile I looked when I was still or when I slept. I dodged like a bullet. Embry almost got me, but I managed to rip free and score.

“Lucky, but not enough,” Jacob said as he tackled me. I laughed as Jacob ripped the ball from my hands and was instantly attacked by Paul and Nate. “Priceless,” I howled, wiping the mud off my shirt. I heard Jacob cuss under his breath while Paul got away with the ball. 

...

“You better know what you’re doing Jake,” I warned as we got on the motorcycle. Jake drove us back to my house. The evening lights were on, and there was commotion inside the house. There were two different stranger cars in the front, and as I hopped off the seat, Alice walked outside to greet us.

“Nessie, Zafrina and Senna are here!” she said loudly. But she didn’t shout. Her words turned to silver dust whirling around our ears. Alice had the loveliest voice.

I felt my face lighten and a smile stretch. I hugged Alice, and then turned to Jacob. He was smiling as wide as I was, and I hugged him, hard. He laughed a little, but his laughing turn to a huff. I let go, realizing I was hugging too tight. Why was I always embarrassing myself?

I considered Zafrina and Senna my aunts, even though they weren’t related to me. I remembered Zafrina when I was young. She loved me and I showed her what I had seen, and vice versa. It was always so right, having her around. I’d visited many times when I was little. I loved the hunting variety, and seeing a world outside of my house. Of course, Jacob came with us, though he didn’t enjoy the big cats as much as me. Zafrina and Senna were wonderful hostesses, always making sure Jake was as comfortably as they could make him. Jake didn’t hate them as much as every other vampire.

Alice, Jacob and I walked inside. The room was decorated beautifully with silver, dark purple. My mother poked her head around the door, and motioned for us to come. We complied, and walked into the family room. There stood Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Aunt Rose, and Zafrina and Senna! Their sister, Kachiri, had been destroyed only a year before our escape from the Volturi’s grasp. We missed her very much, and though I’d never met her, Carlisle said I would have enjoyed her company immensely.

“Zafrina!” I cried, and ran into her arms. She hugged me back, and even for a vampire, she was warm. She wore a black, furry vest over a brown hide, long-sleeve shirt.

“Renesmee, it’s so good to see you,” she said, hugging me a bit tighter. Her strong, slightly accented voice delighted me. Senna stood by her side, quiet as usual. Senna wasn’t much for speaking and socializing, but I always shook her hand. I felt sad when she was left out from the group. Just then, I couldn’t see anything but the wet rainforest. The tall trees towering over me, the warm air filling my lungs. It was a refreshing, beautiful mirage. I blinked a few times, and found myself standing in front of Zafrina and Senna, with Zafrina holding both of my little, pale hands in her large cat-like ones.

“Oh, Zafrina. That was beautiful,” I said breathlessly. She flashed her bright, white teeth in a smile.

“I’m glad you liked it. It was the most beautiful clearing I’ve ever come upon,” she said. Her dark cherry-colored eyes sparkled proudly.

“Zafrina felt that visiting was the right thing to do before you get even older,” my mother commented.

How could I forget...my own birthday. Tomorrow.

“Think of this as sort of your 'birthday' dinner,” Aunt Rose said, wrapping her arms around me. I’d come to find Rosalie’s concrete, smooth arms a comfort, though humans would find it cold and alarming.

“But you don’t eat,” I said, in somewhat of a question. Rose’s shoulders slump, and she barely spent a twentieth of a second looking at Jacob. She rolled her eyes and darted to Emmett’s side.

“We’ll be out hunting,” said my father, who kissed my forehead. He hissed under his breath, looking to Rosalie in a flash of a second. She smirked a little. Confusion swelled up in me.

“But I know two people here who do,” said Alice. Her cocker her head to the side, looking up oh so innocently. I now noticed everyone was standing close to his/her mate, and everyone was staring at me. I hated being the center. I felt Jake’s glance, and the corner of my mouth twitched in a smile. It was always comforting to know he was watching. Always waiting. Though his devotion was sometimes scary. Like he’d jump in front of me at any moment, for any reason, just to protect me.

I blushed red. Beat red. I was stunned for words, and as I began feeling my fingers and toes thaw, I realized my mouth was opened. I quickly slammed in shut, biting my lip in the process. The pain healed within seconds, and I quickly glanced around shyly. I could hear giggles from the women, smiles from the men, and a slight disgust in my father. Emmett whispered something in Aunt Rose’s ear, and she nudged him. I knew he was trying to irritate me, and it worked to well. My father read his mind, and cringed a little. I smiled a little, mouthing, “It’ll be okay, Daddy. I promise,” as the family began walking outside, evacuating the room.

And there it was. That cinnamon-smoke smell coming from behind me. I turned to see Jake, leaning on the doorframe, smiling his toothy smile. I blushed on the inside, knowing that if he saw my blush, he would laugh. But he laughed quietly anyway. I guess I had not noticed the seating for two at the table when we walked in.

“You planned this?” I asked happily, yet slightly suspiciously.

“Maybe. But if you wanna find out…” he said, reaching out to my hand. I took it willingly, and he led me to the table.

“What happened to you not cooking?” I asked, sitting down in the white chair.

“I still can’t cook, but Esme can,” he said. I blinked a few times. I loved when Jake used my family’s real names, instead of “bloodsucker” and “leech.” My family was trying to learn to be nice about the werewolves. But Rose always had problems with it. She never, ever said or called Jacob by name. It was always either “dog” or “mutt”.

He walked out with two shining silver plates, both of which can chicken, potatoes, and