Author's Note: Woooow... I'm really surprised you guys liked this so much. I'm sorry i stopped writing it, but when my friend mentioned how mary sue the character was, I kinda flipped. I went over and read a few of my older chapters, and almost cried.
However, it was because of the mary sue statement I have thought of an ending! It's rather a horror movie kind of ending, but a fun twist nonetheless. I can't say my writing in this chapter is very good. About half of this I started months ago, and then I wrote the rest at 4AM... now it's 6. I've also done limited editing... so please ignore the spelling errors or slight grammar malfunction .
I HATE not finishing things and just leaving unfinished projects to gather dust in this website called . This story has been bugging me endlessly, as I've heard it has been for some of you. I'm also considering rewriting this story with slightly different characters but same plot some time in the near future. I'll let you guys know if I end up doing that.
THANK YOU, btw, for all of you that reviewed, faved, and alerted my story! Love you guys! 3
If you're not a fan of sad endings, I recommend pretending this doesn't exist. Sorry it's not a happy ending after such a long wait, but I'm not a happy-ending type of gal, as it seems.
Hope you guys like. :)
Summary:Chris Story is a girl with family issues, but manages to somehow fall in love in the mess of it all. Leah Clearwater, one of the other creatures that Chris's family must not find out about, learns to love again when the power of imprinting occurs.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, nor do I claim to.
The Last Chapter, Chapter Eighteen: Peaceful Forest
The Ocean is my Weakness...
The room... it was too quiet. The air was thick and heavy, barely letting her breathe, and the drool pouring from her mouth wasn't helping the matter. The teenager's eyes opened in sudden awareness, looking around and trying to figure out where she was. Her breath became rapid and her eyes started turning red.
But then her entire body relaxed from its' paniced state, letting her head turn towards the female next to her in slight awe. The way the other blonde sat there, eyes closed and breathing softly, made her look so peaceful that if disturbed, she might disappear. Chris's body seemed to melt right there, and the previous alertness left as her eyes rested on that form.
The red tint of her eyes never left, but it did blend in more with her natural green eye color.
Her ears picked up a soft noise, causing her eyes to dart to the door and her ears to listen in. From what she could tell, it was downstairs, probably multiple people, and they were talking about something. Their voices were hushed, probably so that she couldn't hear, but she strained her ears anyway to listen in.
"...It had to have been someone from their family, Jake. One of them could have woken up..." A deep voice spoke.
"I don't think so... it was most likely their father, based on what Katie told us after those two fought."
"I don't know, dude, I just don't trust these guys..."
"We don't have a choice, Embry. Leah's imprinted on Chris and we can't change that. And you of all people should trust Katie on this- although it's possible that Sam Story was using her, she's not dumb and I doubt she'd be fooled so easily. I think it's just the father that's a threat- once we get rid of him, it'll be fine."
"However, we need to put into consideration that we have no idea who or what they are." A new voice spoke, and judging by how sweet and angelic it sounded the fox girl could only guess it was a vampire.
"We do know what they are; they're shape shifters like us, but instead turn into foxes." Jake spoke.
"What I mean is, where they came from, how they're like they are, what happened that made them cough up blood two days ago?" The vampire questioned, and Chris's body stiffened again. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, flinching at the previously unnoticed pain that seared through her chest. A hiss escaped her clenched teeth, and the sound of a soft moan caused her to turn towards the wolf girl with wide eyes.
She froze where she was, watching as Leah's eyes blinked a few times into awakeness and her body sit up and stretch. Her soft brown eyes locked with Chris's, and both just stared at each other for a moment.
"Good morning." Leah said softly, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light, connecting with Chris's eyes. "I'm glad you're awake." She whispered, and slowly reached over to place a kiss on her cheek.
Chris sat still, just watching her.
"Leah…" She whispered softly, voice rough from not using it for so long. "I…"
"Shh," Leah spoke softly as she put a finger to her lips. "Let's get some food, shall we?"
"How is it…"
"What?"
"That… you're still here?" She asked, voice barely audible as she started shaking. Her hands clenched the sheets tightly in hope that it would help keep her in place. Chris's head felt light, and she was starting to fear that it would float to the ceiling. "It's a story."
"Chris-"
"Someone's been killed!" A voice yelled from downstairs, causing their heads to turn in their direction.
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"Will you stand in our way when we try to kill your father, Chris?" Jacob questioned, arms crossed and staring at the girl. The room was filled at the moment, just like two days ago when Chris and Sam passed out. Vampires and shape shifters alike scrutinized the fox girl and waited tensely for her to speak.
The young female waited a moment to answer, letting the suspense and tension thicken. Leah's arm, which was securely fastened around Chris's waist, squeezed in worry when she didn't answer immediately. The consequence of her saying she would stand in their way would be severe, and both knew that.
A small chuckle left her throat.
"In other words, you're asking me if I'd mind you killing the man that killed my mother and friends my entire life? The answer, wolf man, is no. Go right ahead- it'll make an excellent story someday." She replied, smiling fondly at a memory that flashed through her mind.
"Will you help us, then?" Seth asked, earning a growl from Leah.
"She will absolutely not be helping us!" Leah yelled as her temper flared, pulling the female next to her closer. Chris flinched at the movement.
"I was just asking! Don't bite my head off!" Seth yelled back. He watched as his sister began shaking, and soon regretted saying anything.
"Leah, go outside and cool off. You can patrol for awhile." Jacob instructed her.
With a curt and barely noticeable nod, Leah moved from her spot. She pecked Chris on the cheek and then ran out the door, going full speed into the forest. Her love watched her leave, missing her presence already. The other vampires and shape shifters never took their eyes off her, and it was creeping her out.
"Don't you have two other brothers?" Sam, one of the leaders, questioned.
"Yes. Zach and Tommy… they left town a few days ago after dad had a talk with them…"
"'Talk'?"
"Threaten, basically. Said he was going to teach Tommy the family…" Chris replied, trailing off at the end. She strained her ears for Leah, suddenly getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. A smile flitted to her face, however, she saw a large wolf walk into the yard, brown eyes and light fur.
"Can you stay focused?"
"There's nothing to talk about. All you want me to do is confirm your suspicions, which most of them are right. My dad is evil, my brothers Jason and Mark are dead, my twin brother is still unconscious for some reason, and my other two brothers are out of town while all this shit goes down. Your little mind reader can reassure you if you're so worried." She sneered as she looked back to the people that stared at her, all littered around the room.
"Whose Ralph?" Edward suddenly asked, causing all stares to turn to him. Chris tilted her head confused.
"Should I know?" Chris asked irritably.
"Your brother keeps repeating it in his sleep."
"Oooh… well, that's probably because, he's dreaming." She retorted, causing various people to laugh quietly. Jasper, who stood quietly in the corner, let a wave of calm wash over the room. The creatures all began conversing, whether it was about the topic or something else entirely.
"You're a part of this family, and so you have to swear an oath." The man told the small twins, both looking up at him with unblinking eyes.
"An oath?" They both question, tilting their heads ever so slightly together.
"You must solemnly swear never to tell anyone about us."
"I solemnly swear!" They both soluted with a 'serious' face.
"If either of you do let it slip… you'll die."
"No we won't! Mark said that when he told some girl, he was just unconscious for a month!" Chris retorted, nose in the air as she crossed her arms.
"Do you really want to test it?"
Chris closed her eyes as a wave of nausea washed over her. Her hand gripped onto the table she stood so close to. She took slow deep breaths.
The room was extremely warm, despite the cold weather outside. So many creatures of the dead and living occupying this one space, it was amazing no one's had heat stroke.
The fox girl unsteadily moved from her spot and walked to the open door. She let the fresh and cool air enter her lungs and cool her body, relishing the touch of nature. She took another step forward, towards the edge of the porch, and felt a twinge in her back. Her muscles twitched and yearned to change once more, to do what was so natural…
And so she let it.
The girl lurched forward and landed on all fours, proceeding to run into the green forest. Her clothing tore, but she didn't care. The smell, the feel of everything around her was enough to calm her restless and worrisome spirit. Her paws dug into the ground as she ran, her mind wandered and left herself, letting instincts take control.
Her sense of hearing told her that she was being followed. Her past experiences told her that they're stronger than her. A small voice in the back of her head, which hasn't been heard in such a long time, told her to ignore them. Her body told her to stop and rest, let the throbbing pain in her chest heal.
Her instincts told her to keep running. Run from the danger. Run from the problems.
Run from the vampires
Run from the shape shifters that could easily kill her.
Run.
Run.
Stop.
Go back.
Run.
Stop. The different whispers argued in her head.
A loud squeal erupted from the fox when it abruptly crashed to the ground. It took a while for her to fully stop, doing flips and rolling until she slowed into stillness. Her eyes were closed, ears pinned back.
She just laid there for a moment. Let the light rain dampen her fur. Let who had followed her to catch up and stare at her.
The large wolf slowly padded over to the fallen animal, sniffing at her head to see if she was dead. Once concluding that she was not, she sat herself down and curled around the fox. She licked at Chris's face, and then settled her head into her paws.
Chris snuggled her nose into Leah's fur.
"Once upon a time there were two kings of the forest- the wolf and the fox. The wolf, which was stronger and more wise than the fox, despised the fox. The Fox, which was more cunning and conniving than the wolf, hated the wolf. Both of them stayed in their own part of the forest.
"Their offspring all learned to hate each other as well, and as the years went by they fought and fought. No one won, and all lost.
"But then, one day, a girl fox left her family to go play in the river. This specific river was the landmark that divided both lands. On the specific day that the fox girl was there, a wolf girl was there too. Neither of them attacked one another, and just enjoyed the other's company. Each day they came back to the river and watched each other from the other side. They never spoke to one another, just watched. An unspoken bond developed between them, and stayed well hidden from their families.
"In the middle of the fast moving river, was a very large rock. It was closer to the fox's side, however the fox girl knew that the current was too fast and would carry her away. The wolf girl, much larger and stronger than the fox, decided one day to swim to the rock. Once she reached it, she shook her fur of the water and silently asked the fox to join her. Although she silently pled for the fox to come, she wouldn't. The wolf girl did this every day for the next month or so, silently pleading for the fox to join her. Each day, she silently apologized and continued watching her.
"The wolves and foxes still fought, not knowing of the river meetings. One day, two of the fox girl's brothers died. The fox girl was so distraught that when the wolf sat on the rock in the river, she finally agreed. She jumped into the water, and as she predicted, her legs weren't strong enough to get her to the other side.
"The wolf girl, not wanting her friend to die, jumped in after her. They both got caught in the river rapids and died. When the wolf and fox leaders discovered this, they-"
"Did they settle a truce in honor of their sacrifice?" Zach interrupted, causing Tommy to glare at him.
"This isn't Romeo and Juliet! It's not that cheesy of an ending!"
"You've read Romeo and Juliet?" Zach questioned, laughing at the little boy's red face.
"Shut up and let me finish! Anyway, when the leaders found the bodies, they got really mad at each other. The foxes thought the wolves had killed their sister, while the wolves thought the foxes killed theirs. The foxes did a frontal attack, which they never do, and being outnumbered they were easily slaughtered. The wolves suffered only minor wounds. The remaining foxes quickly learned what happened and ran away. The end!"
"Wow… that's really creepy." Zach admitted as he scratched his head.
"I dreamt about it, and then made it into a story!"
"When did you dream about it?"
"Last year, I've been working on it ever since!" Tommy replied with a wide smile. "I changed a lot of it, and had to make up the ending because whenever I dreamt about it, it would always get really blurry or I'd wake up before the end. It's pretty cool though, huh!?"
"Yeah, sure… Just don't tell Chris the story, alright?" Zach told him, thinking about how his sister would react to a story about 'the love of her life' dying.
"But… I already did. She said it was really cool and that I should give it a really cool ending, even if all the foxes die." Tommy replied, causing Zach's eyebrows to furrow.
-------
Sam's eyes snapped open, heart beating rapidly and mind whirling uncontrollably.
"Dad." He whispered.
-------
The fox and wolf both kept still, sleeping soundly as the forest echoed silence. The air was still, almost unmoving as if time had stopped. They were together, entwined in both animal and human love. The fox lifted her head and stared into those big brown orbs, getting lost in them as she thought about their future.
They would be happy when her father was gone.
They would be together when the bad people died.
They would love one another forever without her family's hate.
And, speak of the devil, she heard him coming. The two females jumped to their paws and got into a menacing crouch, ready to attack. Leah stood in front of Chris, growling as they heard him coming. Before the fox got close, Leah let out a long howl, signaling her pack and Sam's that he was here.
Or... they? When they arrived, Chris stared at the smaller fox in horror.
She stared at her twin brother, and then to her father, and back. Sam snarled loudly and bared his blood stained teeth, his breath wreaking of human flesh. His eyes were blood red, locked with his sister he used to feel so close to.
You... you let him brainwash you? You're merely a puppet to him! Chris stammered, hoping for some kind of reply. All she got was a low growl emanating from the two male foxes.
And then he lunged.
Leah leaped forward when Sam moved towards his sister, not hesitating to snap at him and threaten to break his neck. Sam was able to dodge the first time, but when he couldn't the second time he made sure to bite her.
Leah!
Chris didn't get to see what happened next. She was caught off guard and attacked by her father, his claws ripping at her flesh. She was thrown against the tree and fell a good ten feet. When she hit the ground he took no time taking her throat into his mouth and tearing her flesh. Blood spilled and pooled around her.
Why are you so cruel...? She asked him, eyes now only half lidded and vision becoming blurry. Her body was suddenly becoming cold and numb.
Are you that ignorant, Chris? My daughter? I love you-
Then why?
Because... you wanted me to.
Her eyes darted back to the love of her life, guilt filling her entire being. But then she was confused. Leah... she's not as beautiful as before. The emotion she used to feel when staring at her was gone.
The wolf whimpered and whined loudly as she fell to the ground, only feet away from Sam's body. Her limbs twitched, eyes wide and staring back at the fox. She tried, oh she tried so desperately, but couldn't reach her.
Why would I want this...?
Because Poseidon wants you to be in his story.
A whimper escaped the fox's throat, watching the light escape from Leah's eyes.
...Whose... Poseidon?
The vampire inside you. The one that controls your power.
You're not-
That glint in your eye! The so called 'mischief' that so few can actually see! You have the ability to control the people around you and manipulate their thoughts and emotions! We have to kill in order to keep from completely falling under your spell, and Poseidon hated us for that! He framed your brother Jason and made him kill all those people and attack you,
No...
He made Mark attack his own father and kill himself!
You liar! You'll say anything because you're... a monster...
He made you hate your own father. He made me be your enemy and hate my precious daughter!
Chris's eyes began to glaze over as her heart slowed....
You killed your own family and manipulated an innocent girl into loving you, and die for you. All by looking them in the eye.
That's...
Her eyes stayed glued to Leah.
Not...
Her heart stopped.
Those eyes weren't mine, father.
.
.
The pack got there too late.
Blood was pooling around the dead, becoming matted in their fur and dying it a deeper shade of red.
Twenty or so giant wolves stood around them, staring at the sight as they replayed Leah's last thoughts. Her agonizing, painful thoughts as the venom rushed through her veins.
The cold air nipped at their fur and they all shuddered.
Edward tightened his grip around Bella.
The newest wolf let out a long and sorrowful howl, piercing the cold still air. The shaggy brown and red fur shook from the vibrations of her throat and unsteady body.
One after another, the wolves all began howling. The dark night took in their cries and shed tears of stars, shooting them across the sky for all of those that were lost.
And then suddenly a twig snapped. All of the wolves turned towards the source of it, their lips pulling back to show their large and dangerous teeth to the small fox. He didn't stand a chance when they all lunged at him at once, all wanting a piece and burning him quickly after.
Jasper walked over to Chris's body and crouched down in front of her, staring into her cold dead eyes. There was a glint, a small little something that waved at him from within, making him keep staring at it. He could feel it, feel the barely perceptible emotion radiating from it.
"Jasper, what is it?" Alice asked him, kneeling at his side.
"There's something not right. It seems like... something's happy. Laughing, maybe." He answered, continuing to stare at the strange little glint as it faded away. Alice pulled him up, weaving her arm around his waist and walking to the exit of the forest.
"Leave it alone, Jasper. Leave it alone."
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"Are you going to publish your story or something? Make it into a creepy book... or something?" Zach asked the small boy curiously. Tommy smiled and giggled wildly, practically bouncing in his seat. His brother raised an eyebrow at his strange behavior.
"Nah, I think I'm going to start a new story instead. This one is going to be set closer to the ocean. A fox and a fish! Or, actually, it'll be merpeople instead of fish. Fish falling in love with foxes would just be stupid. And anyway, the fox is going to be all stubborn and stuff, and then his little brother, Poseidon, is going to convince him to stop being stubborn and admit his feelings. Doesn't that sound great?"
"Um... sure. Um... sorry, what did you just say?" Zach asked, suddenly shaking his head and blinking rapidly at the little fox boy. He pressed a hand to his head, his hair slipping between his fingers and in front of his eyes. Then, he looked up again and stared at his brother. "Well?"
Tommy smiled as he saw the glint appear in his brother's eye.
"Do you like fish, Zach?"