claudia | embry call

thirty-three : bella

Leah and Seth had insisted on continuing to patrol the Cullen's land-mostly because Leah didn't believe Sam's truce, while Quil and Embry had decided to stay home for the day, leaving Claudia and Jake as the only wolves actually at the house. Alice thought she saw Bella waking up soon so she went upstairs, while the rest of the family sat downstairs. Emmett was busy watching the Mariners game while everyone else was lazing about, watching Nessie and impatiently waiting for Bella. They already had it planned out. Claudia and Jake would stay downstairs with Nessie while Edward and the others talked to Bella-then Edward would take Bella hunting, leaving through the window upstairs.

They could all hear Bella's heart working away, and then it really kicked up. Everyone was on their feet in a second, except Claudia and Jake. "It's happening!" Alice called from upstairs. The Cullen's were gone, and Jake sighed.

"Vampires." He mumbled. "At least she's finally waking up."

"Took her two days, right?" Jake nodded. "Hmph, mine was three."

"What...was it like?" He asked. "I wanted to know before but I...I didn't want to think about it because of Bella."

"Honestly..." Claudia sighed, thinking back. It wasn't hard to remember, but it's not something she liked to look back on. "I don't know if I can even describe it to you. It's...it was like my entire body was on fire, but I couldn't move. And not just on fire, but blazing. I thought there was no way I would survive. But then it started to fade, and I could move my hands, and eventually..." She trailed off, her eyes focused on the ground. "Eventually I could hear Victoria, and I woke up."

"Jesus..." Jake breathed out.

"Yeah." Claudia chuckled dryly, sitting back against the couch. "It was probably the worst three days of my life, but...if I'm honest, I don't mind be a vampire too much. Not usually, anyway."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Dunno, maybe I just got used to it." She shrugged. "Maybe it's the fact that I'm still around everyone I was around before I changed, I just don't feel very different. Obviously things can...happen, sometimes but usually I just feel like me, I guess. A little weird, maybe, and not being able to remember a lot of my human memories in detail is annoying, but it's not bad."

———————

"This is fine, right?" Claudia looked over at Emmett.

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged. "Come on, Jake's tough. He'll be fine."

"Maybe I should be out there too..." Claudia frowned anxiously.

"They'll be fine, Claudia." Alice assured, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. "Come on, Nessie's asking for you." Claudia didn't want to leave Jake standing out there alone, but she let Alice lead her away anyway. Emmett was watching, Edward would be there, and it's not like Jake couldn't phase and protect himself if he really needed to. Claudia didn't like thinking of it coming to that, though. Seth and Leah were also lingering nearby, just in case. The second that Nessie saw Claudia, she was desperately reaching out of Rosalie's arms. Claudia took her and leaned against the wall, immediately going to the meadow for Nessie. Alice's hand on her arm a few minutes later brought her out of it. "They're coming inside."