CHAPTER 28
IMPRINTEE LOOPHOLES

THE black Mercedes sped down Bella's street at the speed of light, almost a complete contrast to the homey and silent aesthetic of Forks that they all knew so well. Margo held onto Jacob tightly as the wind whipped through her hair. She silently wished that Bella would be okay, but that was like asking for a miracle.

Jacob insisted that he stay behind at Bella's house, just to wait for Charlie to return home after a long night at the station. Despite Margo hoping that he'd get some sleep, she wasn't up for starting an argument with him after they had one too many this whole evening. She ran inside the small house, realizing the door had been open for longer than usual, and the house was now filled with cold air. Margo tugged on her rain jacket and grabbed her keys, bounding down the front steps.

She ran to her van parked idly in the driveway, yanking the door open and turning on the ignition immediately. It was at this time, as she stuck the key in the ignition, that Margo noticed Jacob was nowhere in sight. She didn't see him walk inside Bella's house, if that's what he did. She tossed her head around, looking for him outside.

Eventually, Margo soon locked stares with a pair of glowing, brown eyes, hidden beneath the bushes of Bella's house. She stopped in her place, hand hovering over her keys. Margo knew it was Jacob, but the thought that her boyfriend was out there, his auburn fur shining beneath the moon, made her feel indifferent. But she guessed, this was the image she'd have to get accustomed to. With a wave of her hand, Margo drove away.

•••

Margo's back hit the door once she shut it as quietly as possible. She breathed out a sigh of relief before rubbing at her eyes. It was only seven o'clock, but the events that happened at Bella's house left Margo feeling exhausted. With a low huff, she tugged off her rain jacket and placed it on the hook. Margo dropped her keys on the table beside the front door and began to tip-toe past the kitchen to her room.

But then she heard a voice clear their throat.

Margo jumped out of her skin. The light in the kitchen turned on instantly, awakening Margo from her sleepy trance. In the kitchen, she spotted her aunt sitting at the table, a cup of coffee resting in her palms. Jenny was still wearing her scrubs, and they looked rather uncomfortable. A note sat on the table near her hands.

Before Margo could say a word, Jenny plucked the note from the table, reading out loud, "Dear Jenny, I'll be at Bella's house. I've left right after school and should be home in about an hour. I promise I won't be going to any forests. See you later. Love, Mar." Jenny's narrowed eyes moved to her niece, petrified in the doorway.

Margo moved into the kitchen. "You seem angry."

"I am way past angry, Margaret," Jenny spat, and the name caused Margo to cringe. "I got home at five. Where have you been this whole time?"

"I said in the note that I was at –"

Jenny put up a hand. "You don't have to lie to me if you were at Jacob's –"

"I was not at Jacob's house!" Margo crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't lie either. I was at Bella Swan's house. Something happened to her and I wanted to check if she was okay."

Jenny's sipped at her coffee gingerly, but she still seemed furious. Margo watched her eyes form into slits when her aunt looked at her, which caused her to ask, "Is this about more than me being late tonight?"

Her aunt sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. Margo gripped the edge of the chair to her right. Jenny finally replied, "You're not here anymore, Margo."

"I'm home for dinner usually every night –"

"No, you're not really here," Jenny continued, glancing up to her niece. "Do you understand? Every since you started to date, I feel like ... I don't know. I feel like I've been losing you."

Margo slowly stepped forward and took a seat at the table. She sat in front of her aunt, lacing her hands together.

"And soon enough, you'll be off to college and won't be here at all." Jenny sniffled, and her anger suddenly subsided. She put a hand over her eyes and shook her head. "It feels like everything is happening so fast. You're growing up so fast, but it feels like yesterday when I got custody of you."

"I'm always gonna be here, Jenny. You're like my real mom," Margo whispered, placing her hands on top of Jenny's. "As much as I miss California, Forks has become a home to me, but I have to go to college. How else am I going to get a job and pay you back for all you've given me?"

Jenny chuckled softly, despite her tears. Margo stood and embraced her aunt tightly, resting her head on top of Jenny's. Her aunt wound her arms around Margo's torso, causing her to breath in Jenny's lavender perfume. Jenny cried the tiniest bit more, leaving mascara stains on Margo's sweater, but Margo didn't mind at all.

"I'm sorry that I've been gone so much," Margo muttered, followed by a long sigh. It was in this moment that she just wanted to tell Jenny everything, but it simply wasn't right. "I just ... I've had a lot more going on than I can say. I can't tell you right now, but you'll know soon. I promise."

Jenny leaned away from her niece, looking up at her with her big, blue eyes. They held the same curiosity that Margo had. "What does that mean?"

Margo bit the edge of her lip. There must have been some loophole somewhere that said an imprintee could tell their family members. If Margo was now so involved in this life, then Jenny had to know. She couldn't hide the world lurking beneath the surface of Forks from her aunt forever. Out of everyone, she had the right to know.

"It means that there's some weird shit in Forks that you don't know about," Margo whispered, realizing how stupid her statement sounded. "It sounds really crazy, but just give me some time. How about I ask Jacob's dad to come over next week? He can talk about this better than I can."

Jenny shook her head, letting her arms fall at her sides. "Whatever helps, but your big news better not be that this town is full of zombies or cannibals, or something stupid like that."

•••

Billy Black was very much not in agreement to tell Margo's aunt the history of the Quileute wolves and the real reason behind the "animal attacks" in town. In fact, he straight-up said no before Margo could explain herself. Truthfully, she understood. These were, like Jared once said, trade secrets, and they couldn't be told to just anyone. She originally tried asking Billy on the phone several times, and when that didn't work, she showed up at his house the next day.

"I think we should let Jenny know," Jacob had said from his place in the foyer. Both Margo and Billy sat at the kitchen table. "Margo is an imprintee. Close members of her family have a right to know."

Margo nodded along with her boyfriend. "I can't keep lying to my only close family member. My aunt is just as involved in this now as I am. I need her to know. Not just for my benefit, but for her own knowledge. She can't continue going around and concluding most of the vampire cases as animal attacks at the hospital." She puckered out her bottom lip. "Please, Billy. She needs to know."

Billy had sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "These are tribe secrets, Margo. They are not just rumors to be thrown around."

Both Margo and Jacob held their breaths. Jacob ventured more into the kitchen, laying his hand across the back of Margo's chair, who laced her hands together in anticipation.

"But you two have made your case very clear," Billy continued. "I can stop by this weekend with Jacob and speak with her. Hopefully, it will be very eye-opening."

Margo had never hugged Billy Black tighter that day. Finally, she wouldn't have to keep secrets from her aunt anymore, but it was going to be quite a shock when she did find out. Margo still didn't believe what was going on in their tiny town sometimes. Thankfully, Billy was going to clear everything up for Jenny, and she knew he was the only one who could do it. This was the only good news Margo had gotten that week.

It had been two days since Bella departed for Italy. Jacob looked after Charlie at the Swan house whenever he could, but he could sense Charlie's anxiety even through the windows. Neither Margo or Jacob heard from Bella since, and Margo was trying her best not to stress over it. She ended up blurting every single detail of what happened at Bella's house to Melinda days later, just because she needed to share it with someone else. Melinda was confused beyond compare, questioning things like, "But isn't Edward a vampire? If they're such high and mighty immortals, how can that lunatic kill himself?"

Margo lowered her voice to a whisper while she talked with Melinda, even though they could barely be heard over the chatter in the cafeteria. She laid her hand out on the table. "I told you," Margo repeated in an annoyed tone. "He can't actually kill himself. There are those law-making vampires, the Volturi, who will do it ... somehow. He just has to provoke them."

Margo looked over at Jessica Stanley's table, noticing that it was somewhat absent, besides Jessica herself and Angela. It was oddly quiet between the two girls.

"Sounds like a waste of time to me," Melinda muttered, ripping into her chicken sandwich. Margo turned back to her. "I mean, he's immortal. Even if he was dead, couldn't he find someone else?"

Margo pointed at her friend. "You make a good point," she agreed with nod. "Maybe they mate for life." Margo paused before continuing to her next subject, "Like the wolves."

The water that Melinda had been chugging almost upchucked from her throat. She knew exactly what Margo meant from her tone, but she tried to think that she almost didn't hear it. Melinda wiped the water from the edge of her mouth. "Excuse me, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Margo pushed her half-eaten tray in front of her and rested her chin in her hand. "Welcome to my life as a big dog's imprint."

"I'm not even sure if I want to know the full details," Melinda sighed. She pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes and shook her head. "When is our small town going to become normal again?"

"Honestly?" Margo asked, picking a carrot from Melinda's tray and biting into it. "Probably, never."

•••

It was difficult to explain the complexity of imprinting when Margo didn't really understand it herself. Eventually, after Margo repeated herself three times, Melinda understood the basics of Margo's almost "soul mate initiation," as Melinda called it. Margo wished it could've been easier by having Jacob or Billy explain the tradition, but she was certain she was breaking some pretty heavy trade laws by telling Melinda. Regardless of this, Margo had to tell her. Melinda Cox was her best friend, and just as close to a soul mate as Jacob now was. She couldn't have kept this from her.

Besides this, Margo found herself riddling with anxiety for the rest of the week. She was pretty sure it caused her to fail one of her exams taken during the week, but that was probably just her paranoia telling her otherwise. Thankfully, for Margo, that anxiety came to a close as soon as she arrived to school Friday morning.

Margo had an apple in her hand, which was not as squish-able as the bananas she once brought to school when she didn't have time to eat. Swinging her bag over her back and locking her car, Margo took a large bite out of the red apple. She wiped the excess juice from the fruit off her mouth, leaving a sticky residue, as she walked into school. She tried to pass by the students quickly who got in her way. As she neared her locker, she caught the sight of something odd.

Margo was close to unlocking her locker when she looked down the hall. By the end of the lockers, in a black leather jacket and jeans that were probably too tight, stood Edward Cullen, sticking his hands in the pockets of his pants. Bella stood beside him, leaning against the row of lockers with a wide smile on her face.

The apple dropped from Margo's hands, and she was soon sprinting over to the couple.

Margo waved her hands in the air, exclaiming, "You're back!" She wrapped her arms around Bella, who seemed shaken at the gesture at first, but eventually hugged the other girl back. Margo leaned away, blinking at the sight of Edward Cullen with a big grin on his face. "You're both back."

"It's nice to see you too, Margo," Edward greeted. "I'm guessing I missed a lot while I was gone. You reek of dog."

She rubbed the back of her neck, releasing a nervous laugh. Bella hit her boyfriend in the chest and shook her head before turning back to Margo. "I briefed him on everything. He's not very surprised."

"I've been alive for a long time," Edward whispered, a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. "Nothing can truly surprise me anymore."

Margo noticed the way they were already holding hands again, causing her brow to lift. They shared a laugh, and Bella held a hand over her mouth to silence her giggles. It was like nothing had ever happened. Margo cleared her throat. "So I'm guessing you two had a nice vacation," she continued with a smirk.

Edward snorted softly. "Define vacation."

"Well, besides meeting a bunch of hell-bent, law-making vampires," Bella replied, "Italy had some nice scenery."

Margo chuckled. She watched Bella and Edward share a look, almost as if they were in pre-marital bliss. This made Margo's suspicions peak. "God," she said, "you guys look so happy that you could be engaged."

Thankfully, they weren't. But little did Margo know of the small, velvet box that sat in Edward's back pocket. Even her big brain, Courtney, would never think that possibility could come true. But for dating vampires, there was always a first time for everything.

•••

On Saturday evening, after a nice dinner of homemade spaghetti and meatballs, crafted by Margo Richards herself, Billy Black and Jenny Fowler sat down at the table together. Margo called both Billy and Jacob over that night, and once she mentioned she was cooking, Billy was sold. All of his worries had washed away as soon as he heard homemade.

Margo made her aunt and Billy two cups of coffee, setting the mugs down on the table as they began to speak. "I want to preface our conversation that I know your niece must've briefed you that her life has gone into a bit of a spiral," Billy said, gesturing to Jenny across the old wooden table, "and she's correct. What I'm going to tell you is very hard to hear, and although you may not want to believe it, I can assure you it's all true."

The young brunette went to stand by her boyfriend in the doorway of the kitchen. Jacob piped up, "I'm living proof of what he's going to tell you, if you need evidence."

Margo scoffed and hit Jacob's chest. He barely felt the impact as he snaked his arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry Margo has been absent from your life, Jennifer," Billy continued, laying his hand over Jenny's. The aunt nodded slowly. "But I think after I explain to you our teenagers' predicament, you will understand how Margo's life has suddenly changed."

Jenny swallowed hard, meeting Margo's eyes from across the room for a moment. "Are you going to tell me my niece and your son are married?"

"Not quite that," Billy chuckled softly. "Since I've heard that you've lived here for some time, I must ask: did you know that the Quileute tribe from the La Push reservation descended from wolves?"

Margo bit her lip hard as the conversation began. She met Jacob's hopeful eyes before turning to the window, where dusk had already fallen across Forks. As her eyes became fixated on the light cascading into the kitchen, Margo swore she witnessed a new moon envelope the sky.

END OF BOOK II