Chalices of green confirmed I was in a forest, surrounded by the shadows of the night. Light abided only the slightest glow which managed to seep partially through the looming cloisters of branches and leaves. It was eerily quiet here—not even the wind spoke. I was standing in the middle of the woods. Stranded almost. Like I had no sense of ground.
Just paralyzed.
And then I heard a snap. My breath became hitched as my eyes searched the abysmal darkness to source out the sound. I refused to see unconscious black figures lingering or a crazed clown with a red balloon slinking in the shadows. But I did see something.
Or someone.
Jacob Black had suddenly appeared to my side like a dazed hallucination. Questionably, I frowned. "Jacob—what are you doing here?"
He grabbed my hand without mention. A strained, terrified look graced his eyes in the soft limelight of the moon. "We need to run, El!" His voice was barely a whisper, nonetheless shivering with fear. He kept looking over his shoulder—to the same darkness I had heard the sound.
"Come on! This way!" Jacob kept lugging me, through tundras of viper thorns and slinking branches covertly waiting to sabotage me.
"Why? What's going on?" The words drifted from my mouth, but they sounded disoriented and hazy.
Jacob suddenly let out a sharp growl, slinging his hand away from mine before he dropped to the ground, twitching beyond a mere tremble.
"Jacob! Oh shit!" Panic flooded my veins as I knelt down, reaching for him. I wanted to stop whatever was happening, but it only got worse.
Jacob was suddenly gone. In his place, a large red-brown wolf with black eyes stared back at me. I felt my body grow stiff. Paralysis stemming from one nerve to the next like a drug. The wolf opened its mouth, razor teeth greeting me as it turned to the only bright white light I could see in the distance. It was like the wolf was trying to communicate to me to run to it and away from the dark shadows.
But when I turned around, I froze when I realized who had made the snapping sound. Edward stepped out into the light, his skin faintly glowing, his eyes black and dangerous. He held up one hand, beckoning me. The wolf, in turn, growled before it stepped in front of me, almost guarding me.
