24. Dracula vs. Wolfman

JacobPOV

I saw the way Bella leaned into Edward's embrace as we waited in line at the movie theater. I saw the love in his eyes as he looked down at her. My heart spoke the knowledge my hormones didn't want to hear. Those two were made for each other. I had been watching Jasper and Alice too. The unspoken intimacy between them showed a bond I had only heard described in our legends. It went beyond the love I had seen in the people around me on the reservation. They moved and flowed together, as if they were two halves of the same whole. Mates. These two were soul mates. I finally understood what my dad had tried to explain.

As much as I hated to admit it, Edward's behavior toward Bella was exactly like the way a werewolf behaved with his imprint. It was obvious that Bella was the center of Edward's universe, that the sun rose and set with her for him. He was constantly aware of her, even when they weren't close enough to touch. She was obviously in love with him as well. Not surprising. The legends explained that no imprint could resist the pure love and adoration offered by her werewolf. They were tied together with an invisible bond. Neither was complete without the other.

She was looking so beautiful today. I had hoped she might feel something for me, wondering why she had invited me to join her group. Her little speech about loving me like a brother quickly killed my hopes and dreams of the two of us being together. It had hurt a bit at first. I had been fantasizing about her since dinner at her house. I was surprised to find that there was a warm glow in my heart after the initial disappointment. I was happy she loved me, even as a brother. I wanted to be part of her life. I felt like I was supposed to be part of her life, part of her family. So I grinned and called her cousin. The smile she gave me then caused the glow to grow, warming my heart further. I would be her best friend and her protector. I wouldn't let anyone hurt her. She was important to me, to my future, though I had no idea why or how.

Besides, I had never really thought I had a chance with her anyway. I was fifteen and she was seventeen. Technically, I was still jailbait for her until I turned sixteen. I had learned in sex ed. that if a minor under the age of sixteen was intimate with someone more than two years older than them, it was still considered rape in the eyes of the law. Not that I would press charges if she wanted to make out with me, but I didn't think it would go over well with Charlie if someone else reported it. He wouldn't want to arrest his own daughter for statutory rape. So she was out of my league for another year anyway. If she was still available when I turned sixteen, I would make my move then. I knew though that most eighteen year old girls preferred older guys. Why would she want to date someone younger? Then, when she went off to college, she would leave me behind in high school. Our love was doomed from the start. I sighed.

I had been doubtful of Edward at first. After all, he was mentioned by name in my tribe's legends. I couldn't help but be suspicious. Especially when none of the Cullens ate anything. All of them seemed completely comfortable with us though. I couldn't see any reason to fear them. They were interacting with other people in a public setting without any difficulty. I spoke with Edward at length over lunch, subtly poking and prodding. We discussed cars and drifted to music. I could see his passion over both subjects and was surprised to learn he actually composed music for the piano. He was clearly intelligent and self-disciplined. I was surprised to find I actually liked him as a person. I could see myself becoming friends with him. He really listened to me and wasn't condescending, even though I was two years younger than him.

It was his reactions toward Bella that really won me over though. He was so attentive to her needs, unfailingly courteous, like a true gentleman. He never failed to smile at her when he looked her way, as if she was the reason for his existence. I could feel the intensity of his emotions. Our legends described the Cold Ones as being heartless monsters, incapable of human emotion. Either he wasn't a Cold One, or the legends were wrong. I didn't really believe in the legends though. I wasn't a superstitious native. Folklore had no place in the modern world as anything other than entertainment. So obviously he wasn't a Cold One.

I couldn't help suggesting the Dracula vs. Wolfman movie. The coincidence was just too much, considering the history between the Quileutes and the Cullen family. I was interested to see how they would react to my suggestion. Would they be offended? Quil and Embry burst out laughing, knowing the legends as well as I did. I could tell they didn't believe them either. They had both been speaking animatedly with the other Cullens throughout lunch, and I could see they were completely at ease. I trusted Embry's instincts about people. He was usually shy and didn't talk much to people he didn't know. However, he and Jasper had found common ground discussing motorcycles and dirt bikes. Embry was ecstatic when Jasper promised we'd race dirt bikes after the movie. I was looking forward to it myself. To my relief, the Cullens didn't object to my movie choice, seeming to find it as ironically funny as we did. Bella was the only one who objected, mainly because she didn't like horror movies, but Edward reassured her.

Now we were getting seated, our hands full of yummy treats. None of us had much money, so I was very thankful Edward lost that bet. We wouldn't have accepted his charity and would have had very limited budgets, but we had no problem helping him repay his debt of honor. It's a guy thing.

Embry entered first, followed by Quil and me. Bella sat in-between Edward and me. Alice was beside Edward, with Jasper on the end. We settled back to enjoy the movie. It started with the depiction of Dracula. I heard the Cullens and Bella chuckling as the movie brought out every trivial vampire stereotype I had ever encountered. If the legends were true, then most of this was utter nonsense. The movie was dramatic, not humorous, so why were they laughing? The only reason I could think of was because they knew this was utter nonsense. But if they knew, how did they know? I was starting to freak myself out a little bit. I had fully believed the legends when I was a kid. It was only as I became a teenager that I had rejected them as fictional stories.

The movie switched to a depiction of Wolfman. The Cullens and Bella were still chuckling, but this time the three of us joined them. Our legends were certainly more believable than the trumped up nonsense on the screen. Why were the Cullens so amused? Did they know our legends? Why were they so pale? How had they been named and described in our history decades before they arrived? Could they be Cold Ones? I glanced over to see Bella's hand entwined with Edwards, her head resting on his shoulder. Surely if he was a cold, heartless, stone monster she wouldn't be comfortable using him as a pillow, right? I'm going crazy.

I was interested to see how the movie authors would portray the interaction between Dracula and Wolfman. I was engrossed in the scene where Dracula was sneaking up behind an oblivious Wolfman, with fangs bared, going for the jugular. Suddenly, I felt something cold press into my neck, right over my jugular, and felt cold liquid trickling down into my shirt. I shrieked, immediately jumping out of my seat and whirling around. "Cold Ones!" I yelled frantically, arms flailing, heart racing, adrenaline pumping. I quickly realized several things. The Cullens were staring at me in amusement, still comfortably settled in their seats. Bella was staring at me in shock, my popcorn bucket upside down in her lap. Embry was staring at me in surprise and concern, and Quil was laughing his head off, holding his stomach. I noticed the top was off of his drink, and his fingers were wet. I touched my hand to my neck, confirming there was no injury and then sniffed my fingers. The liquid was soda. Quil had stuck his fingers into his ice cold drink and then placed them on my neck. I was going to kill him. Before I could react to my new found knowledge, the manager arrived at the scene and asked us all to please leave, as we were disturbing the other patrons. We filed out and headed back to the cars. I apologized to everyone for messing up their plans. They assured me the movie wasn't really that entertaining.

"Now we can go to the race track!" Embry exclaimed. The others cheered. I was still embarrassed.

Jasper put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Jacob. Just have a good time."

I felt the embarrassment fade away, being replaced with excitement. I grinned at him. "Let's do this!"

We all piled into our vehicles and headed for the track.

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Lol.... Hope you enjoyed!!!! A shout out to RenesmeeCarlieCullen!! Thanks for making me write! ;)

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