Mimic | Jacob Black

17. New World

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What kind of a place was this? Could a world really exist where ancient legends went wandering around the borders of tiny, insignificant towns, facing down mythical monsters? How many other fairy tales were grounded somewhere in truth? Was there anything normal anymore, or was everything just supernatural and ghost stories?

River's head felt like it would explode.

Bella had come to the same conclusion he did the next morning, without him needing to explain it to her. He wondered why it was such a surprise. They had already accepted the existence of vampires ages ago. But maybe that was it. One myth was already crazy enough for a lifetime, adding another? It just made everything seem so unreal.

It made River wonder, though.

Before he met Bella, nothing really happened. He never really clicked with anyone. He did try, but none of the other kids ever interested him. When Bella showed up, it was like a part of him had been found–a part he didn't even realise was missing. They just clicked so well, maybe it was because she also never had any other friends who really got her. Since then they had mostly been on their own. Yeah, they had other friends growing up, but never anyone they got close to beyond companionship. Even in Forks, it was the same. They had their friend group at school, but it really wasn't anything beyond that. Edward was something new entirely. Someone who became close to both River and Bella, moreso Bella, but he was still different.

River supposed that was because he was a vampire.

Then they grew close to Jacob, the only other person here who really understood them on a personal level. Someone they came to enjoy being around greatly. The only other person River could call his best friend besides Bella.

But Jacob wasn't human, either.

What did that say about River and Bella? The people once closest to them weren't like them.

It made sense now, though.

There was no cult. There had never been a cult, never been a gang. It was a pack. A pack of five mind-blowingly gigantic, multi-hued werewolves that stalked right past them in the meadow.

That led to where they were now. It was too early to be up, but they didn't care–River couldn't go back to sleep anyway, and he had waited excruciatingly for Bella to get up. They needed to go to La Push as soon as possible, to see Jacob.

River almost ran into Charlie as he barreled down the hallway. Bella slammed into his back, nearly knocking him over, but she grabbed onto his shoulders to stabilize them both.

"What are you kids doing?" Charlie asked, just as surprised to see them as they were to see him. "Do you know what time it is?"

"We're going to La Push," Bella said as she collected herself.

Charlie frowned, giving them a once over. They definitely didn't look like they were about to leave. River was wearing shorts and a hoodie, and he was sure his bedhead was to the extreme. Bella was slipping on her jacket at that very moment. "It's pretty early. Don't you want breakfast?"

"We'll eat later," River assured him.

"You're going to see Jacob, right? No stops on the way?"

Charlie was acting strange, they realised.

"Why would we stop?" Bella asked.

"There's been another attack–the wolves again. There was a witness this time. The victim was only a dozen yards from the road when he disappeared. His wife saw a huge grey wolf just a few minutes later, while she was searching for him."