The Movement of the Earth

Chapter 12: Endgame

no wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold / nothing satisfies me but your soul
Jen Titus, "O Death"

Chapter 12: Endgame

"Bella! Bella!"

"Hush. She's fine. You worry too much."

Voices. A throbbing in my head. Wind blowing across my face.

"Get your hands off-"

"Calm down, little puppy. Wouldn't want to lose our temper, now, would we?"

The smell of salt. The crashing sound of waves. Cold moisture seeping into my back through my clothes.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, don't touch her-"

"Oh, good lord, child. I'm only waking her up. You're going to give yourself an ulcer."

Icy water dripped onto my face. I flinched away from it, and a pleased, babyish soprano said, "See, there, I told you that would do the trick! So much fretting for nothing."

I pretended not to hear. I felt fuzzy and disoriented, but I still knew that nothing good could come of waking up. I wanted to stay in the pleasant oblivion of midnight. It was better than the alternative... because even though I'd never heard it before, I could guess at the owner of that voice. I didn't want to open my eyes and have my fears confirmed. Better to stay in the darkness.

"Come now, Isabella Swan, you can't fool me. I know you're awake."

Then I heard a strangled noise that resembled my name - a noise that finally motivated me to return to consciousness. Jacob. Jacob was here. Was he hurt? What was she doing to him?

I opened my eyes, and there it was: the beautiful feline face, the bright orange hair, the vivid red eyes. "There we go," Victoria crooned gently. She was crouching by my side. Frigid cold seeped into my body as she stroked my matted hair back from my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

I blinked several times, trying to bring the world into focus as a granite hand at the small of my back helped me into a sitting position. Wet sand stuck to the palm of my left hand. The beach. I was on the beach, near the shoreline. The surf lapped close to my legs, only a few feet away - it had been ocean water that Victoria flicked onto my face. The last pale light of evening was long gone; I must have been unconscious for quite awhile.

"I heard Jacob," I croaked. The pain in my head was lessening, but the disorientation grew worse. I felt dizzy, but strangely calm. "Where is he?"

Victoria shook her head, and her flaming curls jostled around her elegant face. "The two of you get so apprehensive." She pointed towards the forest's edge. "No need to worry, Isabella, your wolf is right over there."

It took me a moment - my eyes seemed to need extra time to adjust to the darkness, even with the waxing moon glowing behind light clouds - but then I saw him. Perhaps forty feet away, Jacob paced back and forth, his bare feet shifting on the dry sand. Another moment of focusing, and I could see how badly his body was shaking. My voice cracked as I called, "Jacob?"

For a moment his entire shape rippled... then with a low growl and clenched fists against his temples, Jacob coalesced back into himself. He didn't come any closer. Why wasn't he coming any closer?

I struggled to stand. If Jacob wouldn't come to me, then I would go to him. But I underestimated my own dizziness; no sooner had I raised myself to my knees than I collapsed backwards again with a moan, the world spinning around me. I had to have a concussion, at the very least.

When I fell, Jacob took an involuntary step toward me - but at a quick glance from Victoria, he retreated. And he resumed his pacing.

"I would be careful with the puppy," Victoria whispered next to my ear. Her cold hand climbed up to rest gently against the base of my neck. "He's under a bit of stress right now."