Chapter 11 - 11

Bella POV:

A week passes by in the blink of an eye. I'm currently sat next to Blaize in the kitchen, completing her essay, as she flicks through the calendar. With a quick yank, she scribbles out Friday, and Saturday glows at us.

'Right. I'm going to Jacob's.' Her voice is laced with anticipation and excitement. She stands abruptly, the legs of her chair squealing on the tiles as she pushes it back. 'Bye, Blaize...' I say.

But she's already starting the Jeep, and cruising away. I grin and clear the mess on her desk, signing the essay off, and leave the room. When I walk into my bedroom, a note lies on the bed, fluttering slightly as the breeze sweeps in from the crack in the window. I pick up the note.

Hey, Bella. Edward's gone out hunting today and told me to leave this note for you. Seeing as Blaize seems a bit preoccupied ;) he would like to invite you to our place tomorrow. Anyways, that's it. Cya :) Emmett

I read and re-read the scraggly note again, eyes widening in disbelief. They really want me over? After a few minutes of me trying to remember how to think, I fall onto my bed, grab Wuthering Heights, and start to read.

Blaize POV:

My hands grip the wheel in anticipation, as I drive to Jacob's. As I pull up in front of the drive, I call, 'Jake!'

He instantly appears from the garage, dusting his hands off as me jogs to me, giving me a bear hug. 'You cut your hair,' I comment, as I look him up and down.

Jacob shrugs. 'Convenience.'

Unsurprisingly, he's not wearing a shirt. Deep valleys run between each muscle, clearly defining each one. They look extremely appealing on top of the sweat coating his skin, giving his skin a wet shine. 'I have a surprise for you,' I say as I tear my gaze away, 'and I think you'll like it.'

Jacob grins. 'Show me.' I walk round the the back of my Jeep and open up the boot. 'Oh.' Jacob raises an eyebrow. Two motorcycles lie there, one red, one black.

'I have recently acquired two bikes. I hope you know how to fix them.' I say. Jacob waggles his eyebrows mischievously. 'And if I told you I couldn't fix them?'

I punch him in the side. 'Then that sucks.'

Jacob winces and frowns. 'Do you do boxing or something? Cuz that hurt.'

'Kickboxing for a while,' I admit. 'Anyway, let's get these to the garage then...' I drag the red bike out of the boot, and lug it towards the garage. 'Where should I put this?'

'There's fine.' Jacob gestures with his foot to a free-of-cluster patch in he corner, barely a meter wide. 'Right.'

Dropping the bike, I brush my hands on my trousers and ask him, 'Now what?'

Jacob sets down the black motorcycle, and grins. 'Watch and learn.'

*

For a guy his size, it is amazing watching Jacob's hands deftly remove, fix, and tweak the pieces of metal with ease. You certainly wouldn't expect him to be such an expert. Jacob notices my staring and winks. 'Admiring my abs, are you?'

'No,' I retort, 'Just watching and learning. Just watching and learning, as you said.'

'Uh-huh. Sure.' Jacob says, unconvinced.

Suddenly, three shadows appear in the doorway. Jacob immediately looks up and grins. 'Hey guys. Quil, Embry, Seth, this is Blaize Swan. Blaize, this is Quil Ateara, Embry Call, and Seth Clearwater.' He gestures to each one as he addresses them. Quil is shorter but brawnier than Embry with hair so short it was almost a buzz.

Embry grins at me as he is introduced, but Seth... freezes. His eyes open wide for a moment before he darts out the door. 'Um... I'll just go check on him,' Jacob mutters gruffly, disappearing after Seth.

Trying to dismiss that, I frown at Embry. 'Are you guys all werewolves too?'

He nods and replies, 'Yup. Seth's the newest, though. Takes some time adjusting.'

'Understandable.'

We stare at space for a few awkward moments, then Jacob pops his head around the door. 'Hey, Blaize. I need to run some, er, errands for Billy quickly. I'll leave you with these guys and see you tomorrow, alright?'

Without giving me a chance to reply, Jacob is once again gone.

'So...' Embry breaks the silence. 'Do you want to get some fresh air? Like, there's a forest just at the end of the road here...'

I shrug. 'Sure.'

Quil adds with a mischievous grin, 'Race to the clearing - last one there? Well, we'll decide the consequences then.'

I raise my brows. 'What clea-' Then Quil and Embry speed off. '-ing.'

'Shoot.' I dig my heels into the ground and chase after them in hot pursuit.

Somehow, I manage to level with Quil, who is sprinting a couple of metres behind Embry. A shocked expression crosses his face, and I grin wickedly before sticking out a foot. Quil sprawls to the ground and I use that opportunity to catch up with Embry.

He barely notices me as I draw up beside him, eyes focused only on the goal ahead. We pelt through the trees, vaulting over branches, neck and neck. We both put on an extra burst of speed as we spot the grassy clearing nearing us. Three metres. Two metres. Then, 'Ayyy!'

Embry high fives me, and presses his hands to his knees. 'Not bad,' he pants. I slump to the ground, recovering my breath. The clearing is a similar size to the one that Edward and I visited. Large, and, again, surrounded by trees. Only this time there are a lot more boulders, too.

'Where's Quil?' Embry asks.

I put on my best innocent face. 'I don't know,' I reply sweetly.

'Damnit I'm here,' a voice groans from the trees. 'You cheated,' Quil groans as he stumbles into view.

'What? No... I have no idea what you're talking about.'

Embry grins. 'She didn't cheat, Quil, you big baby.' He sides with me.

'I broke my ankle,' Quil snaps. Ah. Panic flares in my eyes, but Quil chortles as he reads my expression. 'Don't worry about it, Blaize. We have extremely fast healing.' As he speaks, the swollen lump around his ankle recedes, leaving no trace of injury.

'Wow.'

Quil smirks. 'Blaize Swan. As a punishment from cheating, I challenge you to a round of one-to-one combat.'

Embry's eyes glint with a playful spark as he catches onto the idea. 'How about this. If Blaize defeats you in one-to-one combat, then Blaize and I both pick a separate consequence for you. If you win, though... then Blaize gets the consequence instead.'

Quil purses his lips. After a moment of thought, they stretch into a wide smile. 'Deal!'

The last time I fought was simple sparring. I drum my fingers on the ground. 'As long as you don't break my bones... I'm in.'