Easy as Breathing by Brittany Johnson (no david read aloud txt) 📕

I descended down the grand stair case in the entry to our home, letting the sound of Uncle Emmett’s booming laughter fill my ears. Though I made little to no sound as I approached, my father turned his head and nodded in approval. I smiled and blushed. Aunt Alice had managed to sucker me into one of her French dresses again. Mother’s smile beamed and she gracefully leapt to her feet to meet me at the bottom of the stair case.

Her hand was outstretched delicately with her nails painted the most subtle pink, no doubt aunt Alice’s doing. I giggled slightly and my mom gave me a bitter look. I craned my head around looking from side to side for him. Today is his birthday and that is the sole reason I am in this dress. As if I will need it, I thought to myself. I finally caught sight of him by the front door, pestering Rosalie. That is my Jacob. I don’t even like her. I mean when I was little I did, but now she has just become a royal pain. She was always being bitchy to Jake, jealous as hell of my mother, and just unfriendly in general. Jake looked up and a smile bright as the sun danced on his lips.

Rosalie inclined her head in my direction and gave me a look of disdain. I fought back the urge to flip her off as the sound of a growl filled my ears. Jake’s eyes were narrowed and Rosalie hissed the word “Mutt.” In his direction. A bemused grin appeared on his face now and he leaned down to whisper, “Takes a mutt to know a mutt, Rosalie.” He jumped back and danced out of the way as she tried to swipe at him. She turned and stormed out of the house, rocking the door nearly off its hinges. Father was pressing his lips into a thin hard line like he was trying to suppress laughter. Emmett didn’t even try to hold it back. It bellowed out of him contagiously and soon we all joined in.
I glided past moms out stretched hand and bounded into Jake’s arms. The force of it sent him tumbling back a few steps but he wrapped his arms around me and held me close anyway.

His strong hands stoked my head and I inhaled his wonderfully woodsy scent. Unlike the rest of my family, Jacob never smelled bad to me. Maybe it was because I was half human or maybe it was just because I was wired different than everyone else. Jake spun me around and around our laughter the only palpable sound in my ears. My reddish brown curls flared out around me and I leaned my head back, embracing the wind that lapped playfully at my cheeks. To my dismay he set me down. I frowned up at him. He brushed a few strands of hair from my fair face and brushed his lips against my jaw, sending delightful shivers down my spine.

The growl that ensued echoed throughout the room. I felt Jake stiffen next to me but he didn’t back away. I saw my mother rise out of her chair and my father stir restlessly in his seat. Yet surprisingly it was Grandpa Carlisle who reached us first. A hand was placed on Jacob’s shoulder. The striking contrast between the two complexions was uniquely beautiful. White porcelain on an ebony colored man. I awed at the sight and then cursed myself for getting easily distracted yet again. “Jacob, just back up a little from Renesmee. You are well aware of just how protective Bella is of her. And she hasn’t had enough time to fully mature to be able to control her temper just yet.” Grandpa said lightly. Jake shook his hand off, lighter than I expected he would do with any of the others, and backed away but only half an arms distance.

Ever since Grandpa helped him out with the newborn attack, Jake has always been softer towards him. He told me all about it when I was younger and we were sitting in mom and dad’s field. He said he had to rebrake every bone on his entire right side for them to heal straight. I mentally flinched at the idea. Just the prospect of anyone ever hurting Jacob sent waves of anger through me and I had to fight to force them back down. I shook myself out of my little flashback and found myself starring into Jacob’s beautiful brown eyes. “Happy birthday.” I told him in a sing-song voice. He smiled and I touched a hand to his chest. He was, as usual, shirtless and in jean cut-offs. Though I can’t say I minded the latter, and if I did I would be lying through my teeth which is pointless due to dad’s uncanny knack to read minds. I sent a picture of me with my tongue sticking out his way and I caught that crooked smile of his out the corner of my eye.

I showed Jake a picture of the gigantic marble cake, covered in butter cream icing that we had gotten for his birthday. I made sure to show him the one before I modified it so it wouldn’t spoil the main surprise. I could hear the moisture gathering in his mouth. I laughed and pulled my hand back. “Damn, that cake is making my mouth water already!” he said joyfully. At the word cake, Seth came bounding into the room with the stupidest grin on his face. “Did I just hear the word cake?” he asked looking around. His eyes came to rest on me and they slightly widened before returning to their calm façade. I tilted my head to the side and gave him a quizzical look. My father’s posture became rigid and he cursed under his breath. He leapt to his feet in one fluid motion and came to stand infr4ont of me.

Jacob was pushed out of the way and he growled but dad ignored it. “What’s going on Edward?” my mom asked in her own musical voice. “Seth, we are having enough trouble restraining ourselves against attacking Jacob for his infatuation with my daughter. We do not need two wolves.” There was a collective gasp and a loud snarl, followed by an explosion. I watched a silent shimmer fall over Jake and turn him into a large russet colored wolf. Seth put his hands up in a surrendering gesture and slowly backed up. “It’s just a crush Jake! Nothing that would win over your imprint with her!” Seth pleaded. It had no effect on the massive wolf. He snarled and snapped at him. His teeth barred, gleaming sharp and dangerously. The muscles in his neck coiled and he looked ready t o pounce.

My conscience got the best of me and I did what only an idiot would do. I pulled my father aside and ran to stand between the wolf and the boy. I could almost see Seth’s wolf form hovering over him in its own preaditorial crouch. I wrapped my arms ar4ound the neck of the wolf, entwining my fingers in its fur and pulling it closer to me. “Jake.” I begged in a whisper to his pointy fur covered ear. It twitched slightly with the coolness of my breath but the wolf stayed poised to attack. I moved my face in front of its massive head. My eyes pleaded to him to change back. I caressed his soft fur in my hands and smoothed the wolfy worry lines that were embedded there. He whimpered slightly in defeat and sat back on his haunches. He licked my face once and then walked slowly out the door, only pausing to glare once at Seth.

The tension in the air was so palpable you could almost see its net stretching from person to person. I watched as Seth swallowed what was left of his pride and headed out the back door. I caught his arm as he walked by. “Wait?” I asked. He hung his head but nodded solemnly. He grabbed my hand softly and tugged me out the back door with him. I watched everyone’s posture stiffen again and I thought, I’m just going to talk to him. You trust me don’t you? Dad nodded his head so slightly that it would have been imperceptible to any mere human. I let Seth pull me out of earshot of the rest of my family and to the edge of the woods.

He turned to me then. His face was hard to get a read on. “I didn’t mean to,” he began but couldn’t bring himself to finish. He sighed heavily. He plopped down on the hard ground and buried his head in his hands. I instinctively reached out a hand to comfort him but then recoiled at the idea. If I touched him then I might end up sending him a picture that I don’t mean to. I thought back to the day Jake and I were alone in the meadow. It was so blissfully sunny, but not muggy like usual in forks. I was littler then, maybe about eleven or twelve. Purple, pink, and blue flowers sprouted up and out of the ground in brilliant vibrant patches of color and the grasses were so very luscious and green. Jake was laying on his back in the middle of it all.

Text: the charactors are stephanie meyers work but the story line is my own.
Publication Date: 05-31-2011

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Dedication:
to the people who have asked me to do a fanfiction.