Twilight: Blood calling

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Enjoy the chapter

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It was nighttime, and Nate sat alone in his room. The only light came from a video playing on his screen, showing his father discussing the anatomy of vampires. Nate listened intently, clutching a vial of hair in his hand and studying it with his enhanced vision.

"Nathaniel's anatomy is a dilemma when it comes to the vampires I've seen," his father said in the video. "He shows signs of his humanity—a beating heart, blood flow, normal hormonal changes. And yet, the more I study his blood, the more it becomes apparent that he is far from a typical human."

The video continued, describing his father's findings.

"His bone density is many times that of an average human, and his organs... they're strong. So strong, in fact, that any normal knife or sharp object couldn't pierce them. My hypothesis is that, just as the—let's call them 'original vampires'—have bodies as hard as stone to withstand their speed and strength, Nate's body is adapting in a similar way."

As the video detailed the anatomical advantages of vampirism, Nate hesitated. After releasing his latest song, he'd felt ready to get the hair tested to see if it really belonged to his father. But now, he wasn't so sure. What if it didn't match? What would that mean? Was his father dead and not buried in his own grave, or worse—was he still alive somewhere, hiding for reasons unknown?

It was the second possibility that scared him the most. That's why he hadn't gone through with the test.

He glanced back at the screen, watching his father gesture passionately as he explained the complexities of vampiric physiology, a clear bite mark visible on his hand. Lost in thought, Nate suddenly detected a strange scent—something…sweat? Curiously, he followed it to his window.

Peering outside, Nate—whose eyes needed no time to adjust to the dark—spotted a figure with shockingly bright red hair standing outside. They locked eyes, and he saw blood-red irises staring back at him in surprise. Before he could react, the figure—a woman—turned and darted away at a speed that left him stunned.

"Cold one," he murmured aloud, shock evident on his face.

But why? Why would a cold one come anywhere near this house?

As he grappled with this question, a strange, familiar sensation washed over him—the same feeling he'd had when he encountered the Pack for the first time. Only this time, it wasn't directed at him; it was coming from within him.

He felt... insulted. It was as though his territory had been invaded, and that realization both angered him and made him worry for his cousin and uncle.

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As Nate pulled up to Jacob's house, he saw Jacob strapping two bikes onto his father's truck. Bella opened the car door to get out, but Nate gently grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Bikes?" he asked, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, Jacob said he'd teach me," she replied, her expression apologetic.

"Are you insane, Bella?" Nate said, pulling her back into the car. Bella's eyes widened at her cousin's strength. "You can barely walk in a straight line. Why would you even consider this a good idea?" He eyed the two barely-repaired bikes and then looked back at Bella, exasperated.

"It's not like that," Bella said, her voice defensive at first but softening as she realized Nate was just being protective. "Jacob's only going to teach me. I'm not planning on going on a joyride and hitting a tree."

Nate, studying her face to gauge her determination, finally sighed and let her go. "Bella, if anything happens..." He trailed off, and she squeezed his hand.

"Nothing's going to happen. Besides, Jacob wouldn't let me do anything crazy even if I wanted to," she said, looking over at Jacob, who waved cheerfully.

Reluctantly, Nate nodded. "Alright, fine. But call me if anything happens. I mean anything." Bella only smiled and waved goodbye as she got out of the car, making no promises.

"Sigh... Why do I get the feeling she's going to hurt herself?" Nate muttered, watching as Bella greeted Jacob with a hug.

Shaking his head helplessly, Nate reminded himself of the real reason he drove Bella here: he needed to speak with the Pack about the redhead he'd seen. Leaving the Black residence, he drove for a few minutes before pulling up to a familiar cabin that smelled faintly of wet dog.

Stepping out of the car, Nate noticed it was unusually quiet. No shouting, no laughter—odd for the typically rowdy bunch. Approaching the porch, he stepped through the open door and found himself face-to-face with Emily, who looked startled and dropped the fruit bowl she was holding. Nate moved swiftly, catching the bowl and rearranging it so the fruit fell back in place.

"Sorry about that," he said, handing the bowl back to her as she looked on, clearly amazed by his speed.

"It... it's fine," she replied, a smile slowly forming. "I'm guessing you're looking for the boys?"

"Yeah, are they out on a patrol?" he asked, following her into the kitchen.

Emily shook her head. "No, they went cliff diving. You just missed them."

Nate nodded, wondering where the cliff might be, as Emily glanced at him with a curious expression.

"You're not what I expected, you know?" she said suddenly, drawing Nate's attention.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, unsure of what she was implying.

Emily smiled as she began washing the fruit. "Ever since I can remember, we were told that vampires were monstrous creatures with no humanity. It used to scare Leah and me to no end," she said, reminiscing about her childhood, unaware of Nate's reaction to Leah's name.

"Wait, what?" Nate said, caught off guard.

Emily laughed and nodded. "Yeah, so imagine my surprise when you walk into my house, looking all shy and polite, as the so-called monstrous vampire who drinks blood." She chuckled, continuing, "and fter hearing your story, it made me realize that you vampires aren't as different from humans as I thought."

Nate smiled slightly but stayed cautious. "Not all vampires are like me, Emily," he said, hinting at the reality that he was an exception.

"I figured as much," she said, laughing. "Otherwise, the boys might've reacted differently when they first met you."

"They told you about that, huh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course they did," Emily replied, grinning. "How could they not, when my cousin was walking around with something they hadn't seen before that smelled like blood?"

Realization dawned on Nate. Leah and Emily were cousins. It made sense; he'd noticed that family members often shared a similar blood scent, even through the pervasive smell of wet dog in the house.

"So, you and Leah are cousins?" he asked, noticing the slight sadness in Emily's expression.

Emily nodded, looking away. "Yeah, things are… complicated," she said, hesitating.

Nate decided not to pry, but Emily surprised him by opening up further. "Leah was the one to inroduce me to Sam. They dated all through high school," she said. "They cared for each other, deeply. Sam even talked about marriage… They were happy."

Nate leaned forward, sensing a story behind her words. "What happened?"

Emily's face tightened. "Leah wanted me to meet Sam. They were going through a rough patch because Sam had already shifted and was acting distant. Then, when he met me... he imprinted on me."

"Imprinted?" Nate asked, intrigued.

Emily nodded, explaining, "It's a wolf thing. According to Sam, when a wolf imprints, it's like gravity shifts. The person they imprint on becomes their reason for existing. Suddenly, you'd do anything for that person, be anything they need." Nate was stunned by the intensity of her description.

"So… he didn't have a choice?" Nate asked carefully.

Emily shook her head. "No, he did. He could've stayed away from me and lived in constant pain or broken things off with Leah and risked both her and me hating him," she explained, making Nate realize how difficult Sam's decision had been.

"Sam's been through a lot," Nate thought, watching Emily's expression soften.

Emily smiled wistfully. "But I guess the imprint goes both ways, because ever since I saw Sam for the first time, I was smitten with him," she said, a soft smile spreading across her face.

Nate, starting to understand her better, asked, "I appreciate you telling me all this, Emily... but why?"

Emily's smile widened as she leaned against the counter. "Well, I was on the phone with my aunt, Sue," she said, looking at him expectantly.

"Leah's mom?" Nate asked, connecting the dots.

"Yep." She chuckled. "Sue mentioned Leah's been seeing the police chief's nephew." She tapped Nate's head playfully, and he smiled.

"Huh, I should've expected it," Nate said, recalling how Leah had warned him that small-town news traveled fast. But as he thought of Leah, his expression grew regretful.

"Though, it doesn't matter now," he muttered.

Emily frowned, sensing his disappointment. "What do you mean?"

Nate sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Something happened on our date. I… got hungry," he admitted, his voice tinged with shame.

Realizing what he meant, Emily looked at him wide-eyed.

"Yeah," he said, leaning on his hand, "I couldn't let her be near me, so I kind of scared her off."

To his surprise, Emily placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You scared her off to protect her, right?"

Nate nodded, looking away.

"Then it's not hopeless," Emily said, smiling. "If you explain it to her, she'll understand."

"How do I explain that I almost lost control and nearly bit her head off?" he asked, doubting it was possible.

Emily scoffed and gave his hand a playful slap. "Don't say it like that, you dummy. Just tell her it wasn't her fault. Keep it simple—and definitely not like you just did." She pointed at him, emphasizing her point, and Nate raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Anyway, I've kept you long enough. You can find the boys by yourself, right?" she said, turning back to the fruit.

Nate nodded. "Yeah, I'll find them," he said, heading toward the door. Pausing, he turned back. "Mind if I leave my car here?"

Emily looked up and waved him off. "No problem. Just come get it whenever."Before Nate aded.

"Also, i apreciate you, and don't wory about Leah, she'll forgive you" He said, not waiting to hear what emily had to say.

Nate shouted a quick thank-you as he left, closing the door behind him and making his way toward the cliffs where the boys had gone.

Looking around at the forest surrounding the small clearing, Nate breathed in. He closed his eyes and concentrated, his ears slowly turning pointed as he began making an extremely high-pitched sound that traveled out in all directions.

Echolocation was one of the abilities Nate found most useful; it allowed him to see beyond what he'd ever thought possible. While his other senses, like hearing and smelling, gave him observational abilities any other vampire would kill to have, his echolocation was on a whole other level.

He could see all around Forks if he activated it. While Nate spent most nights working on his music, other nights, he would use his echolocation to explore the night life of Forks. He had even found out that, if he wanted to, he could call bats to himself, something he accidentally discovered on his first night in town.

As Nate's echolocation picked up all the wildlife in the forest, his ears caught shouts of fear and laughter. He recognized Paul's laugh and zoomed in on the pack at a cliffside, just in time to see them throwing Embry into the ocean.

"They really did go cliff diving," he said, hearing Emily humming to herself in the cabin behind him. He made a mental note of their location before he kicked off the ground and ran like the wind, moving silently through the forest.

As Sam, Paul, and Jared watched Embry come up from the water screaming in joy, they sensed someone approaching fast. Sam, who was closest to the forest, picked up the familiar scent and relaxed, while Paul and Embry's instincts still warned them.

"Calm down; it's a friend," Sam said, and both boys instantly calmed as they recognized the scent too. Nate suddenly came to a halt in front of them, the speed at which he was traveling creating an air current that blew their hair back.

"Hey, guys," he said, waving as Sam approached him and they shook hands.

"This is a welcome surprise. What's up?" Sam asked, with Jared and Paul waving at him from behind Sam.

"Hey, you two," Nate said, giving them a thumbs up before turning back to Sam. "Well, I have a small problem," he said, looking between them as they showed interest, curious about what sort of problem he could have.

"Remember that redhead you were telling me about who's been giving you a hard time?" Nate asked, and Sam nodded as Paul scoffed behind him.

"Remember? Man, she's been driving us crazy," Paul said in frustration, with Sam nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, Paul's right; she's a slippery one," Sam said, while Nate heard Embry's shout from down in the water.

"Well, she came for a late-night visit to my house," Nate said, making everyone's eyes widen.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, coming closer and grabbing his hand. Nate nodded, a frown forming on his face.

"Yeah, believe it or not," he said.

"That's a problem, then," Sam said, glancing back at Jared and Paul.

"What do you mean?" Nate asked, still confused as to why she would be anywhere near his house.

Paul, looking back at Nate, sighed before saying, "We suspected she might be after your cousin, Bella."

Nate looked at them, confused. "Why on earth would she be after Bella?" he asked, raising his voice slightly.

Sam winced at Nate's reaction. "Well, Bella got mixed up with the Cullens. We assumed the redhead was trying to get back at them by killing their... pet," Sam said, wincing at the word. Nate, listening, had a dangerous look in his eyes, which flickered from black to red, making Sam, Jared, and Paul instinctively take a step back.

"Then I guess we're going to have to deal with her before she can get anywhere near Bella," Nate suddenly said, noticing they had backed away from him.

"Hell yeah!" Paul said, grinning as he shook Jared, who complained. Sam locked eyes with Nate before asking, "Are you sure about this, Nate? Hunting her with us would effectively reveal you to the supernatural world." Sam tried to look as serious as possible, though he seemed somewhat happy to have Nate on their side.

"Yes. If there's a reason I was given these powers, it's to protect my family. They're in danger now, so to answer your question—I'm more than ready," Nate replied with conviction, making Sam smile unconsciously. Suddenly, Jared and Paul moved behind Nate and lifted him up.

"Hey! What the hell are you guys doing?" Nate exclaimed, surprised at being lifted as both Paul and Jared laughed.

"Well, if you're going to be joining us for the hunts, you need to be initiated," they said, carrying him closer and closer to the edge. Nate realized what they were doing.

"Hey, hey, Sam, tell them to stop!" he shouted in mock panic, looking at Sam, who was smiling ear to ear.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sam said, watching as Nate looked at him like a traitor. Jared and Paul started counting, while Embry, seeing what they were doing from the ocean below, cheered loudly.

The truth was, Nate could have easily freed himself from their grip, but he could see it was a harmless prank, so he let them continue—though he made a mental note to take revenge on Sam for ignoring his fake pleas.

"Three!" Jared and Paul finished counting and flung Nate into the ocean as he shouted in joy, twisting mid-air to do a flip before diving in next to Embry, who whooped in excitement.

What Nate didn't know was that while he was being carried by Jared and Paul, Bella and Jacob were watching from a mountain roadside in shock. Bella was horrified, but Jacob, knowing it was a safe prank the boys from the reservation often did, looked amused.

As they watched Nate get thrown from the cliff, Bella screamed, turning around to cover her eyes and clinging to Jacob, who smiled as he wrapped his arms around her protectively, his heart pounding.

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Hey guys,

Once again, here's another chapter that keeps things moving! We're seeing an alliance forming between the pack and Nate, which could go in any direction, and we're also getting close to wrapping up the first arc. Something big is coming up soon that will uncover a lot of unanswered questions, so stay tuned!

Let me know here what you think will happen next and what you'd like to see. Anything goes—I'd love to hear your thoughts!