taciturn / paul lahote

"who is the girl?"

Jake and Daisy sat side by side on the couch, her head resting upon his shoulder as they both lazily stared at the TV in front of them. Dinner had been wonderful - Jacob finishing Daisy's food when she couldn't herself.

Billy had retreated into his room for the night, leaving Jacob and Daisy to do some much needed catching up. The pair had been closer than anyone thought - even after Daisy and her immediate family had up and left. They had texted daily, sometimes even talked on the phone.

Prior to today, the two haven't spoken in two weeks. Jake was worried out of his mind - after hearing what happened, he knew his cousin would never be the same. When he heard that she could no longer speak, a part of him ached for her.

Her voice was simply musical - a sound that never failed to brighten the days of those around her. Her voice was happy and so was she. A part of her old self still lived within, Jacob could see it in her eyes - her sky blue eyes. But, that part of her was trapped incase the thick casing of her new skin.

One day, Jacob hoped that he would hear her voice again. Maybe today, tomorrow, or ten years into the future - but he hoped that he'd hear the sounds of her again.

While Jacob was thinking of Daisy as they say on the couch, Daisy was doing the opposite. With a lock of his long black hair twirled around her finger, Daisy was thinking of Jacob.

Daisy was worried for her cousin - worried about the person he would become when the inevitable happened. When he phased. Daisy didn't want him to change like her brother had.

After Issac had phased, he became overprotective of his younger sister. He practically only left her side to shower and go to the bathroom. But other than that, he was always there - hovering over Daisy like a helicopter parent.

Rightfully so, if it wasn't for Issac, who knows if Daisy would still be alive. Don't think that Daisy takes this for granted, because she doesn't. Even she knows that if her brother didn't wander in at the time he did, she would be more than just mute.

She didn't want Jacob to become arrogant, either. Becoming a wolf was an ego booster and none of them wanted Jacob becoming a cocky son of a bitch.

"You think a lot, you know that?" Jacob says, chuckling when he sees the far off look in his cousin's eyes.

Daisy rolls her eyes, looking up at Jacob. She nods, picking up her whiteboard from its rest beside her. You're an ass, J. She writes, chuckling.

"I'm, like, so offended right now!" Jacob says, mocking the typical 'girl' attitude. He does this because he knows it pisses Daisy off - being called a typical girl.

Daisy punches Jake in the arm, scrunching her nose up at him to convey her annoyance to him. She scoffs when he grabs her fist, giving it a gentle squeeze in his own large hand.

"How are you, though," Jacob asks, his voice deepening as he suddenly turns serious. He releases Daisy's hand when she tugs, and she begins to write.

I've been better, she writes, shrugging her shoulders. She does this to cast off the severity of her problems - she didn't want to worry Jake or anyone else. Daisy could deal with it, alone.

"You're not though - you tend to forget that I can read to like a book, D," Jacob sighs, alining himself to look at Daisy straight on. She couldn't lie to him like this - she was completely exposed to the Quileute teen.

It's hard. Daisy writes simply, not wanting Jacob to see past her walls.

"Of course it is," he says, knowing that her situation isn't ideal. "But don't you want to talk?"

Of course I do, Jacob, but I just can't. Daisy writes, sighing frustratedly. Not with Jacob for asking, with herself for not speaking.

Daisy, physically, has the ability to speak. No physical injuries have impaired her ability to speak. It was something mentally that did.

Between her brain and her tongue, there was a misconnection. A cut wire. A broken circuit board. No matter how hard Daisy tried, she couldn't speak.

The doctors say that the blockage will go away with time - but how long it will take is a question that doesn't have an answer. As long as it takes, the doctor always said when Issac or Lizzy would ask.

Daisy shakes her head - shaking away the thoughts of the thing she was most ashamed of. She erases the words off of her board before writing a new sentence.

How are you? She writes, angling her question towards Jacob, who shrugs.

"I'm alright - fixing up the old Rabbit in the garage." Jacob speaks with ease, a small smile sneaking its way onto his face.

A knowing smirk spreads across Daisy's face - she knows this look.

Who is the girl? She raises her eyebrows at Jacob, whose cheeks flush when he reads the question. He forgot that Daisy knew him better than anyone.

"What girl -" Jacob begins to speak but stops when he sees his cousin's face. "Her name is Bella."

Daisy scoots closer, leaning forward to intently listen to Jacob speak. This was the first girl he's ever mentioned - so it was a big deal.

"She's older than me, of us. Her name is Bella Swan. We were friends growing up but she moved when her parents got divorced. She just moved back in with her dad, who is the chief of police, almost a year ago." Jacob's tone soon turns sour, leaving Daisy confused.

What's the catch? Daisy asks.

"She's hung up on her pathetic ex boyfriend." Jacob says, disgusted. Raising her eyebrows, Daisy motions for Jacob to continue.

"His name is Edward Cullen and he's one of the cold ones. Dad hates them - everyone on the Res hates them." He says, rolling his eyes. "They left a few weeks ago, Edward left Bella alone in the woods for hours until Sam found her."

Sam, another name Daisy noticed Jacob saying with disgust.

"She started coming around here more often a couple days ago," Jacob shrugs. "Says it makes her feel whole again."

Daisy smiles, liking how fondly her cousin is speaking of this mystery girl. She knows what the Cold Ones are - vampires. And Daisy hates them.

Against her mother's best efforts, both Daisy and Issac knew that it was a vampire that killed their father - not an animal. They had found out a few years back when they overheard Lizzy and Billy speaking when they came to visit.

Can I meet her? Daisy writes, wanting to see the girl that could run with vampires for herself.

"Of course, I've been talking about you and Issac for days now. She wants to meet you too," Jacob says, yawning. Soon, I feel myself nodding too.

We both share a laugh before standing. Jacob wraps his arms around my shoulders, squeezing me in a tight hug. I reciprocate.

"Don't worry," he whispers. "I'll keep you safe."

•••

fuuuck i love this book. can't wait to post all the chapters i have written😩

-M