『 chapter xxx: THE THIRD GIRL. 』

THERE'S A GIRL, ONLY SIXTEEN YEARS IN AGE. She has strange bruises littering her arms and other places on her body that aren't visible, hidden by various pieces of clothing and sweaters. On her feet are muddy sneakers, the laces tied twice in lazy bows that fall to either side of the shoe. Her wrists are covered with thick bracelets and various hair ties to hide the purple and painful bruises that make their home on her skin. Everyone in the small cottage home notices her eyes before anything else. Her eyes sparkled like storm clouds right before lightning hit as she takes in her surroundings, as she lays those eyes on the people that stand before her; it's as if there's a blizzard eternally raging on in the black void of her pupils, the color surrounding it are clouds of ice and water, every speck an incandescent white-blue. A shade not even a talented artist such as Vincent Van Gogh could create, it's not even a shade of blue that he could feel. The sixteen year old girls irises threatened floods and fury while her black void pupils dilated in wonder, thick eyelashes catching the raindrops that fell from the sky. Her irises never catch the light that emits from the bulbs, but defy it, and they're so, so blue that they literally glow with melancholy — but there's an occasion that the girl smiles.

                             The girl smiles as she sees her grandmother, the harbinger of her death. She smiles at her cousin, the breaker of all the promises he's ever made. She smiles to her boyfriends father, who reveres his sons imprint as a treasure more than a person. She smiles because it'll all be over soon. 

"June," Jacob beckons her, wary and obviously aware that she knew about him imprinting on her.

The girls name, Juniper, has been spoken almost a half of a million times in her life. But it's never been spoken in the devout way her boyfriend — soulmate — says it. It's the way that people speak of their gods, beloved and faithful and tender, like a caress. All June can think about is what her dead ancestor used to say: this must be a mistake, he can't be my forever, he can't, he needs someone else, someone who's gonna live for a long time—She can't meet his gaze for too long because she's afraid he'll see right through her, he always seems to. As if he knows she's discontent, he keeps looking at her every few seconds to see some life take form on the stoic facade she pulled on.

Wordlessly, she nods at his gesture to sit down, and sees how the people in the room all look to her like they can't believe she's flesh and bone. True to Sam's word, everyone was there. Harry and Billy and Old Quil, Sue and Iris and surprisingly, carrying her little brother, was the soon-to-be Daphne Swan. Her mother is there with her understanding smile and soft demeanor, looking like some goddess of fertility with a three month old tucked in her arms. By this point, June is not angry nor is she betrayed that her mother seemed to know more than she let on, she's just determined to understand. Fuck, that's all the sixteen year old girl wants; to finally understand the bruises and the meaning of being a Mender and why it's such a cause for lament on her part and celebration for them?

"Everyone settle down," Billy Black speaks with authority that falls over them all. June sees Sam's pack all take their seats, flanking their alpha. Jared, Paul, Embry, and Jacob — the only exception. Naturally, as she presumed, he sits down right beside her. It's an action that doesn't go unnoticed by anyone. "Today, marks harmony within the tribe. We have an honoree in our midst."

They all look at the bewildered blue-eyed girl whom sits at the end of the table. Her grandmother looks iridescent, proud and beaming from her spot. Sue and Harry smile with respect in their eyes. Her mother even more so, and it makes June's stomach churn. But the worst gaze is Billy's, who looks to his son and puffs his chest out a little prouder, for a reason June couldn't understand.

"Honoree?" June finds her voice. "What's the honor?"

They all chuckle at her words but she doesn't know what's funny. June feels something she never felt; self-conscious. But not in that way, in a way of which she's aware of herself. She's aware of how earth shatteringly familiar this is. She never lived this moment, but another has, she's long dead, but she wrote of this day — or a day familiar to this day, rather — in which the Elders sat her down and told her what she was, what her purpose was, or better, what they wanted her purpose to be.

"Juniper, do you know who you are?" Harry Clearwater asks, more poetic than critical.

The question doesn't fly past her, "Who am I?" She points to herself and sees everyone looks to her. "I'm June. I'm just ... June, I'm nothing special—"  

"You're very special, Juniper. You're the Mender to the Quileute Shape-Shifters," Billy responds easily, a smile on his face. June can't return it. He sets a picture on the table, towards her. She freezes at the sight and hears the name before she can think of it. "Melanie Capote was the last Spirit Mender of our tribe in a long time. She died by her own hands in 1937, subsequently her mate, Ephraim died as well. There was only two Spirit Warriors left and the gene dwindled drastically. Which is why it took almost a century for the magic to awaken again – and the presence of the cold ones in town over was also a factor."

June wants to correct him. She wants to say, Melanie never wanted to be a Mender. She never wanted Ephraim. She never wanted to be used and abused by a man who couldn't love her more than he loved this damned place! June wants to scream. The Elders exploited her magic, they all but killed her themselves, she dead when she died. She wants to leave already. It makes her tremble with the thought of what if she didn't like Jacob? He had imprinted on her. She was apparently the other half of his soul and he was hers. But what if she didn't want anything to do with him? What if she loved someone else? That question makes June feel her heart beat in shame. One moment she had been promising to make the best of what time she had with Jacob and now, she was doubting the value of imprinting. She wondered if Jacob would've still liked her if he imprinted on someone else; but remembering Leah, and the way Sam looked at Emily, she seriously doubted it.

Her treacherous thoughts are cut off by Iris speaking, "The time without magic in our midst is gone," Her grandmother says with hope in her words. "It's started with my grandson." 

Everyone turns to June's cousin in that instant. Sam had never been a proud man, he was always humble and never the one to speak for the sake of conversation — that hasn't changed, even when everything else about him did. She knows why they look to him. Sam Uley, the first to transform into a werewolf, the first of many, the first on the long list of things that would never make his or his cousins life the same again.

"Juniper," Old Quil speaks in a croak, his old voice older than his name as he sits with his hands on the table. "Like all the children on the Reservation, you've been raised by the stories of Taha Aki and courage of the Third Wife?"

"Yes." June responds curtly.

"Ah, so listen when I say," Old Quil went on. "The Spirits did not let the Third Wife's sacrifice be overlooked. She could've nicked her finger, a drop of blood would've sent the cold woman who reigned terror on the tribe into a frenzy. Yet, if that wasn't enough, she would've missed the chance to help her husband — so she took her life for everyone else's. From that day, her and Taha Aki's only daughter changed at the age of sixteen when her brothers began their transformation. She mended them when they were injured, hence the name, she gave life to the tribe with crops and plant life when the winters were cold. Her presence was vital for able Spirit Warriors, otherwise, there was no imprinting and no sons being born, no protection for the tribe." He tells the audience but keeps his eyes on June who keeps hearing you're cursed. "The Third Wife's sacrifice is the beginning of the magic in your blood, the same blood that flowed through hers."

"And yet, she's called the Third Wife, because no one can remember her name." June responded with a snipped voice. Everyone stiffened at her words. With a soft breath she looked over to her mother, her emotionless face as she was rocking Willie in her arms. "So that's my origin; an age old sacrifice by a courageous woman that left me with a curse?"

"It's no curse," Billy Black assures immediately, his brows furrowing with a perplexed look. "Juniper, a Mender is the most precious commodity to a pack of Shape-Shifters. Your presence has allowed your Alpha to imprint, for Embry, for Jared. For Jacob." His eyes fall to his son. "Mender's are always mates to Alpha's, as is shown from the records we found. It's necessary the Mender to be protected at all times and there is no other wolf to match her power except that of an Alpha."

June reluctantly looks over to Jacob, who's still searching her face that shows nothing but indifference. Then she looks to Sam, confused. "I thought Sam was the Alpha?" She said with a horrified voice.

"By default," Sam spoke up. He nodded to Jacob and then shifted his eyes to June. "I've kept the post until the chiefs grandson claims his right."

"You'll be keeping it for a while." Jacob says easily, earning a look from his father.

June watched the exchange. Did Jacob really not want to be Alpha? Maybe he hated his nature as much as she hated her own? "Why wouldn't you take it?" She asks him before she can stop herself. "You're Gideon Black's great-grandson."

"Exactly what I've been telling him." Billy says with a glimmer of approval in his eyes. "It's an honor he should own up to, as every man of the Black bloodline has."

"Sam's a better Alpha than I could ever be." Jacob says with finality, a wave of power flooding over the room as he speaks. He looks to June, softening. "An honor I can do without for now."

June looks at him somberly. She wants to comfort him,  it she can't even bring herself to touch him. Not when she's only making it harder for everyone around her. Sue's voice chimes, "June, sweetheart." She says so the girl turns to her. "Have you been ... stronger lately? Maybe hear things that are too far away, or even feel a bit warmer?"

"She's running a few degrees under the boys," Daphne speaks up for the first time. "I almost had a heart attack when I first felt her the day I came back."

June can feel everyone waiting for her to answer. She already told Jacob she killed James. She doesn't want to say it again, she doesn't want to breathe life back into a ghost she can't bury.

She looks down to her hands, answering Sue's question. "I knocked Paul on his ass today—"

"Hell yeah you did, put it here, Junior." Jared stretches over and balls his fist to bump it with hers. She does so, making Paul roll his eyes at them and cross his arms.

"—but that's it." June lies.

"That's all?" Billy persists.

"Yeah." June lies again.

She can feel Jacob's eyes on her.

"June killed a cold one last year," Sam suddenly informs as she finishes her words, much to the horror and interest of everyone in the room. June seethes in her seat as she hears her mother startled gasp, holding Willie close as she moves her eyes to her daughter. "She ripped him apart."

Billy and Old Quil and Harry all murmur things in their ancient language, Quileute prayers sent to the strength of the s Third Wife and the Spirit Warriors before them. June can only think, why the fuck are they praying? I killed some supernatural creature that shouldn't even exist — just like the wolves, just like me.

"When did this happen, June?" Harry asks, leaning forward.

June looks to her cousin with hard eyes. "Sam."

"Juniper, honey," Daphne speaks with a hoarse voice as Sue takes Willie into the other room. "Is this true?" She must've gotten the answer from June face because it falls. "The hospital. You didn't pass out from exhaustion again ..."

"No, mom," June shook her head, trying her damn best not to cry in front of everyone there. "I didn't know what I was doing. I still don't, I didn't want to die—"

Daphne cut her off, "Oh, Juniper." She said as she covered her mouth and her eyes teared from the thought of her daughter fighting a monster. Daphne looks at her mother and asks, "How's this possible, mother, she isn't a wolf—"

"She doesn't need to be a wolf to kill a cold one. She used the packs strength," Iris realizes much to the confirmation of those surrounding them. "Yes, it makes sense now. Menders channel their strength from the Spirit Warriors. That's why you were able to defeat the cold one — when Sam shifted, thats when your powers came to be, calling on you, to mend the pack. The cold one that attacked you was a threat and the Spirits allowed you to eliminate it."

"Damn, Junior, you're badass." Jared winks to her, earning a thump on the head from Sam.

June breathes in, rubbing her temples. "Okay, so? What does this all mean? What's my purpose, what's the point of having me — I'm not the one who turns into a wolf." She said to them. "If I have to use the packs — strength? I'm just useless."

"You're the furthest thing from useless, ocean eyes," Jacob says, that dipped adoration in his words present.

June looks at him. He's so terribly easy to love. Her fanciful little mind urges her, just love him, while the tiny logical part of it reminds her icily, you'll leave him. It makes June look down at her hands and Jacob visibly shrinks from her coldness.

"As I said, your presence allowed some of the men to imprint." Billy explains again, nodding. "It's Jacob's destiny to be Alpha, and you his imprint, since your magic will allow safe childbearing for the other bonded pairs to continue the gene, as well as yourselves."

June wants badly to say, another Capote woman has let another male of the Black bloodline down. I can't give you grandchildren, I'll be deader than dead, the earth I lay in will be my only child. "Oh yay, I'm a walking anti-birth control for these guys." She can't help but snip as she looks at Sam's pack—her pack. "Aren't you all just so lucky?" Paul and Jared share a chuckle while Embry snickers along with them.

"It's very hard for Shape Shifters to procreate," Sue adds with a somber look. "Taha Aki had many sons who either died in childbirth or infancy or were miscarried; after his daughter gained her power, his sons were was able to deliver their own healthy sons. More Spirit Warriors." Sue says with a gleam in her eye that says she's as faithful in June as the rest of them. "As for what your role is—You have your own power, too, Juniper. You can mend the pack in their injuries, your healing abilities, that you've yet to fully awaken, make the transformation process much less painful for any more that might activate the gene."

"Mend them ..." June echoes, remembering how she made Bella's cut on her forehead vanish with a touch. "How do I do that? I mean, I can't control it, it comes and goes, I don't know what I'm doing—"

"Your grandmother and Sue will aid you in the healing aspects of your magic from what they've read on Menders," Old Quil nods to Iris who smiles softly at her granddaughter then he adds, "You'll need to start practicing soon."

"There's much to teach," Sue chimes.

"I can't do this." June murmurs, fear climbing in her heart.

The Elders all start talking at once and her mother too and her grandmother and the words are muffled in June's wars. She catches words here and there as Old Quil and Iris share words and Billy and Daphne along with Sue and Harry mutter their own opinions on how they should move from here on out. June's stuck sitting there while others, people she loved, people she thought would never overlook her, are gambling with her fate in their hands.

"She'll start immediately—"

"Everyone has their part to play—"

"June has a great power—"

"She's venerated in the tribe now—"

But no one hears her when she keeps saying, "I can't do this." She says it over and over and it's falling to deaf ears, to ears that only hear what they want to hear. "I can't do this."

No one notices how every plant that Iris had in the house was quickly growing in size, bones were spreading like a virus around the walls as June's anxiety boiled over. The green over shadows the yellow of the paint on the walls and Jacob is the first to notice, naturally, seeing the grey tone of his imprints skin and the murmuring she keeps doing. Jacob looks around and sees the vines that keep spreading and then a bout of thunder crackles outside and Willie lets out a startled cry that has Daphne rushing to his baby carrier and shushing him softly. The wind picks up too and it whistles through the home and the plants around them keep growing and eventually everyone else in the room pauses too but Jacob's the first who can reach June.

"June, baby?" Jacob cups her face and she catches her breath once his warm skin touches her. "It's alright, it's okay, you're fine. You're safe."

Jacob's words are silk to her ears, not muffled, not filled with pity or sympathy. There just words that she needed. Jacob always had a habit — pre-transformation — of knowing exactly what she needed.

"I need ..."

Jacob nods, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Anything, name it, and I'll do my best to give it to you."

" ... Some time." June's voice cracks. "To think."

Jacob's face falls into that of understanding and tenderness. He knew it was too much to take it, June was only a girl, stronger than any average girl, but she was such a little thing. His, and she needed protection but was told by everyone that she was the protection for everyone else. Jacob knew how much of a burden it was on someone's shoulders to be told you're meant for something. June was meant to be his, meant to mend the pack, but she wasn't meant to take on so many things at once. They were still half human after all.

"I think we're done here for today," It's her grandma Iris though, who speaks for her salvation. "June's has quite a lot to take in and we mustn't bombard her with more of this. Not today."

"But Iris, she must start soon—" Billy begins.

"She's just a girl." Iris snaps. "She may be the Mender, but she isn't invincible, Billy, you know this." Her eyes meet the fellow mans and they freeze with the insinuation that makes June wonder if her secret about dying isn't much of a secret as she thought it was. Iris turns to Sam, "Show everyone the way out, will you, my boy? Your cousin needs her rest."

June looks to Sam. He smiles at her assuringly, in the way that says, you'll be okay. "Come on, patrol starts now," Sam nods and gestures to the pack to stand up, heading out the door with Billy and Harry and Old Quil.

Jacob stops by the door, he turns to June. "Can I come by later? I'm sure you wanna talk about ... you know, what I've—"

"Maybe not tonight," June forces herself not to wince at the shooting pain she feels from bruises forming on her body from her little anxiety show she had a few minuets ago. "I'm pretty tired, Jay."

"Alright, um, well—"

"I'll call you." June assures, her voice low.

Jacob looks conflicted; he wants to be the one to care for her, it's his job, he's happy to do it. He just wants to remove the perpetual frown she's taken on. He wants to see that smile he loves so much, on the girl he loves even more. Her blue eyes are like glass now, shiny and captivating, but they're filled with sadness that he wants to take away. Daphne puts a hand on his shoulder as she comes up. June's mother looks just as conflicted as he is, but she nods to him. Jacob relents because there isn't anything else he can do. She doesn't want to be with him right now, he doesn't know how she feels about the imprint. He curses Sam for telling her before he could've. Jacob gives his mate one last smile before he follows the others out the door. Once the various trucks are heard being turned into life, and driven off, is when June feels like she can breathe again.

June looks to her grandmother. Iris sees a girl who resembles her aunt from the photos far too much; before, there were only similarities, June's smile reached her eyes, Melanie's never went above her lips now, it's a carbon copy. Except for that one difference — Melanie didn't care enough to stay alive, didn't care to wait out a life that would've been more content than a life in the shadows.

June, however ... this girl cared far too much.

•—•—•—•

A MENDER, A HUMAN, AND A WONDER BABY SIT contently on a picnic blanket outside in their spacious backyard. It's nice out, a sunny day, it's springtime so they expect nothing but what they are given. The trees cover most of the sun, so that the small baby with them isn't forced to squint his eyes too much. Patrick Verona is running around the backyard, barking at the birds in the trees and chasing squirrel. It makes Willie cackle like it's the most hilarious thing to ever be done. It's Willie's fourth month in this world. It's surreal to think that five months has flown by, that June and Bella's baby brother was getting not so much of a baby anymore, but just little, like a little person; who was also a baby, and their brother. June decided to take to her solitude and bought a small cake that Willie was munching on in his closed fist as he sat, a mound of pillows from the living room supporting him. The cake had said HAPPY FOUR MONTHS WILLIE ! but with her baby brothers excitement at the bright colored vanilla cake and sprinkles had made it say some distorted version of it that looked a little something like HA P OR M O TS W I E !

Bella looked iridescent in a yellow long sleeve and some plain jeans, her mousy brown hair dusting her shoulders; she cut it, a new thing, part of her stage of mourning, her younger sister supposed. "Have you heard from anyone yet?" She asks softly.

It had been well over a week since she'd seen any of them. Since she'd seen Jacob — the air felt chillier with that thought. June tucks a piece of golden hair behind her ear.

"I haven't been waiting by the phone," June murmurs, smiling as she makes an airplane sound as she picks up a soon and zooms it towards Willie's mouth.

Her little brother happily eats.

Bella's frown is clear, "So they're really werewolves, huh?"

"Guess so," June says.

"And you're ... you're something?"

"A Mender." June supplies with a bitter tone.

Bella nods, "Right." Her sister says, then takes a deep breath. She watches June try hard to take her mind off of everything as she focuses on their brother; Bella sees the bruises that litter her sisters arms and then she remembers the paintings that June did, the ones of her nightmares, the ones of Victoria. "Why didn't you tell me, June? I never would've ... I thought that you were fine."

June visibly stiffens. She doesn't look Bella's way, not at first, she wipes frosting from Willie's chubby cheeks with a wipe. It's takes Bella a moment to register that June's crying suddenly. June's shoulder slump.

She looks to Bella, her eyes watery. "I didn't want to worry you; I didn't want let you down. Not like he did." She cried in such a helpless way. "But it's been tearing me up, Bella. I can't handle it's too much—they all expect so much of me and I don't think I can do it, every time I use... whatever I have, it hurts, it hurts Bella. It really hurts."

Bella blinks her own tears away, "June, sweetie, I didn't know you were going through so much." She says shakily then takes a guilty expression. "Not that I looked beyond myself to even realize what was going on ... I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," June says, wiping her tears. "We all get caught up sometimes." They both look to Willie at that moment, seeing his baby face beam while Patrick Verona sat by him. "We forget what matters ..."

A moment passes before Bella speaks, "What are you gonna do?" She asks softly. "Take the occupation of the Quileute Mender or just be normal, as normal as you can? And then you got that whole soulmate stuff with Jacob ..."

June looks at the grass, she sees that bellflowers are growing around and smiles to herself before the frown comes out again to haunt her features, "I don't know what I'm gonna do." She says lowly. She pulls her knees to her chest. "I just know that I have to do the right thing; for everyone, not just myself, I know just what doing things for yourself can mean for others. But I don't know what's the right thing, I'm sixteen. How am I supposed to know what to do? I'm supposed to have more time. I ... never asked for this."

Bella looks at her, "June, you're my sister, yes, but I'm not just saying this to say it, but: you can handle anything." She says earnestly. "If you're worried about Jacob only loving you because some freaky wolf claim put you two together, you shouldn't be; he's loved you when he was human and he loves you now that he's not."

Quietly, frightened, June asks, "How do you when it's ... when it's really love? I mean, you loved Edward right?" She hates to ask, and she sees Bella deflate. "How'd you know it was love and not just ... not just some stupid pull of your heart?"

"Because it was easy as breathing with him, I didn't feel out of control when we were together. Not like now," Bella says after a moment, her eyes no longer guarded as they used to be when her ex boyfriends name came up. "And of course, he was just so terribly easy to love."

"Jacob is, too." June says before she can help it.

"Then love him." Bella supplies. "You're both young, like you said. Maybe love doesn't come right now for you as it does for him. Maybe it'll take time, more time. Maybe it'll take seeing someone else to know how much no one will ever make your heart beat as fast as when you're with him. Who knows? Love is just where it is."

"I might just be the most problematic person alive," June rested her chin on her knees. "Who doesn't want someone who's born for them? Who can pass up that absolution; Jacob imprinting on me means he'll never cheat, never look at another, never think of someone else ..."

"But you're worried that you won't feel the same?" Bella guessed.

Slowly, June nodded. How could Melanie give up the same role that she was in now? The absolution? Melanie didn't feel that Ephraim loved her but being imprinted on was the quickest route to love. The only problem that June could see from Melanie's point of view was being stuck on the Reservarion forever. In almost every journal Melanie wrote, there was lingering dialogue she scribbled down about Edward or Rosalie telling her of the big wide world they've seen and how they wanted Melanie to experience the same.

"I'm scared of being stuck." June admits out loud. "I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life to be some almighty werewolf witch doctor isn't a side job—"

"You know Jacob would follow you wherever you go."

Bella didn't know how true those words were; they frightened June to her core, he'd follow you anywhere you go. Even in death. June needed a plan; she was still dying, it didn't matter if she was stuck, she was dying. She'd be buried here. She would die here.

I'll never leave this place.

But Jacob? He deserved something more. June remembered the writings of the books about Menders that her grandmother and Sue had given her to read up on. Jacob along with the others couldn't leave the Rez because the threat of them accidentally phasing was too much of a risk. But Menders were a staple in getting the wolves to control their phasing. Maybe, just hypothetically, if June accepted her role and helped ( some-fucking-how) Jacob with his phasing, then when she died, he could leave? June would die way before the Spirit Ceremony could ever be a real thing. He could leave this place and the reminder of her death would leave him, too. June would never leave this place but Jacob might. June really needed a plan, because this has happened before, but it was unplanned and so everything fell out of place. Long ago, there was a faithful wife, a Mender, who gave her life for the love of her people. A little later, there was another Mender, a second, who took her own life because the thought of being unhappy for another moment was too much to bear. And then there was now, the third girl, the current Mender just sixteen years young, blue eyes like the skies who would give her life if it meant there was no discord after she was laid in the ground.

"Babababa," Willie coos loudly and grabs his sisters' attention. Bella kisses his chubby cheek and scoops him into her arms and she lays down on the blanket, Willie on her torso and laying his head contently on Bella's chest.

"Yeah, he's would," June confirms as she lays down on the blanket too and stares up at the tall trees, covering her eyes from the sun that shines through the leaves.

And that's exactly what I don't want.

note: this was,,,long,,,,,and informative :))))) If theres any questions, ask, like pertaining to menders and stuff.