We all know that Embry hasn't imprinted yet. We also know that his father may be Billy Black, Quil Ateara IV, or Joshua Uley (most likely the latter). And while Bella and Edward were having their little "crisis" and Jacob went all drama king, some h...
Ugh. Why did Jacob have to be such a drama king? Like, I get that he imprinted and all that, I really do. But, oh my goodness, he was dramatic. Nobody else in the pack is that crazy about their imprints. Quil still hangs out with me all the time. I don't see Sam having to spend every waking moment with Emily. I've only ever even seen Jared's imprint twice, and Paul's goes to Washington State! But no, Jake imprinted on a Cullen. He's special.
Gag. I swear, if he and I didn't used to be best friends, I don't know what I'd do. It would certainly involve the worst scented candle I could find, and his sensitive nose.
"Hey," Quil greeted, interrupting me from my musings.
"Hey."
"You wanna go somewhere? Claire's staying with her grandparents for the weekend, and I'm itching to do something."
See? Why couldn't Jacob be like this? His imprint was unavailable, he was cool with it, we hung out. Simple.
"Sure, dude. Where do you wanna go?"
"I was thinking we drive somewhere far away, see if we can just do something. And who knows, maybe you'll imprint."
I rolled my eyes. It sometimes seemed like Quil was more eager for me to imprint than I was. Maybe it was because he knew the joys of it, and, like a good friend (*cough cough* Jacob), he wanted me to experience the same happiness.
"Okay. Let's go."
***
We drove for thirty-five hours. Yeah. But, finally, we were in Chicago.
"Dude, how long are we planning on staying here? 'Cause I am not driving another thirty five hours back anytime soon." I asked.
"Relax, we'll stay here for, like, a week."
"Do we have food, clothes, or a place to stay?" I deadpanned.
"Um,"
"Quil Ateara V, do you at least have money?"
"I've got my debit card, you?"
"Same. How much does yours have on it?"
"About one thousand dollars."
"I've got two thousand one hundred and eighty."
Quil let out a low whistle. "Rich, much? You're buying me a sweet birthday present this year, 'kay?"
"Only if we make it through one week in the windy city alive."
***
"This is a crappy hotel room." I stated apathetically.
"Hey, we have a little over three thousand dollars here, so, if you wanna have food and clothes, you're gonna need to settle for a crappy hotel room."
I put my hands up. "I'm not saying we should get a nicer one. I'm just stating that it is crappy. I'm happy as long as there are two beds."
"We're okay on that front, thank the lord."
"Good. Now, goodnight." I flopped down on my bed.
"'Night" Quil muttered.
###
Graciela's POV:
I pulled my black leather jacket more closely around myself, my thin white sweater no match for Chicago's biting winds. My long, knee-length auburn hair was half up in a bun, but the half that was down blew around me and whipped my face.
I sipped my pumpkin spice latte and sighed. Fall was my favorite season, and not only because my birthday is in October.
I slipped in to my studio, ready to start painting. I took off my jacket and tied on an apron.
---
I stepped back to admire my finished piece. I wasn't sure why, but recently I had been very inspired to paint wolves.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Content with a day's work, I stepped back outside to get a snack for lunch. Then, I turned around and went right back in to take off my apron and put on my jacket. Oops, I forgot.
I walked over to Starbucks, eager for a blueberry muffin and some hot tea (My body could only handle one cup of coffee per day, even if it was decaf. I have sort of a blood sugar/blood pressure/iron level/oxygen level problem... basically I can't eat certain foods, have to eat more of other foods, have to carry around an oxygen tank sometimes, etc).
I walked in, noticing two boys I'd never seen before sitting at a table in the back corner. They looked to be native american, with russet-colored skin and black hair. One of them was really cute... whatever, not important.
I ordered, sat down, and put in my earbuds. An Adele song came on, and I immediately relaxed into my seat.
###
Embry's POV:
A glance. That was all it took. One glance, and I was done for.
Quil and I were just sitting there, talking about how bratty Jacob's been lately, and I glanced over at the girl listening to music in the other corner.
I stopped mid-sentence, and had a sharp intake of breath.
She was beautiful. Long auburn hair, pixie-like features, and skin almost as pale as a vampire's. She was skinny, so much so that it almost looked unhealthy, like she didn't eat enough. Her eyes were closed, but she had thick, dark lashes.
But more than beauty, I was pulled to her. She was a work of art, a steady thing in my world of spinning color and drama. She was the only thing holding me to life, and I had an overwhelming longing to touch her, to hold her, just to convince myself that she was real, not a hallucination of an angel sent from heaven.
