CHAPTER ELEVEN:
LOST IN THE RUSH

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THE LAST PLACE SHAY expected to spend her Saturday morning was a clearing out in the middle of the woods, surrounded by vampires and werewolves who were training for an all-out supernatural battle. She'd barely gotten any sleep the night before, her wired brain running over every tiny detail the Cullens had shared with her. Their immortal secret, the wolves, James and Victoria, Riley. Her mind analysed every piece of information given to her, trying to put together the chaotic picture that was the supernatural universe. It confused her, but it also made a lot of  sense. The Cullens always seemed to be on a different wavelength in comparison to the rest of Forks. Shay had never given it much thought, but in the occasional moments she thought about the Cullens before Alice became such a big part of her life, there was always something other-worldly about them. Like they didn't belong in Forks with the rest of them. Didn't belong in this time period, even. Looking back on it, it seemed kind of ironic to Shay.

"Hey." Shay was snapped out of her trance by Bella Swan, the shy brunette smiling down at her as she tore away from Edward's side to join Shay, who was sitting under a tree watching in amazement as Emmett and Jasper fought. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I'm dreaming," Shay chuckled, returning her smile happily. "I just haven't decided if it's a good dream or a bad dream yet."

"I know the feeling," Bella laughed along with her, legs tucked up to her chest as they watched the Cullens gather together, eyes locked on the trees before them as they waited for the pack to arrive. "It takes a while for everything to sink in, doesn't it?"

Before Shay could respond, there was movement in the bushes that had her falling silent. A moment later, the first shifter creeped through the trees, his fur a vibrant shade of black like a dark night sky. He lead the rest of the pack into the clearing, the tallest of them all with his head held high. Shay could tell just by looking at him that he was the leader; Sam Uley, as the Cullens called him. She wasn't sure about the rest yet, but it didn't take much to recognise someone who was made to rule.

Just like Emmett and Jasper's fight, Shay stared at them in amazement. The wolves were unlike anything she'd ever seen before. They were the pure definition of a supernatural creature. While the Cullens were unnaturally beautiful, perfect in every sense of the word, the wolves were rough-and-tough kind of creatures, a group of beings that moved as one. The Cullens at least looked like people, the pack was a completely different story.

From beside her, Shay heard Bella chuckle again, a fond smile tugging at her lips as she watched Shay's eyes widen. Shay paid her no attention until someone else joined in with her, their laughter rich like a bird's call or a bell chiming. Immediately, Shay's eyes were on Alice Cullen, who stood a few feet away from her with an emotion in her eyes that Shay couldn't quite decipher. Nonetheless, it made Shay's heart stutter like a chaotically beating drum. The only thing that calmed its rhythm was the thought of Alice hearing it beat out of its bone cage. Instead, a soft pink blush coated her cheeks as she brought her knees up to her chest to match Bella's position.

"They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," Edward let out a frustrated sigh, looking into the pack's thoughts.

"They came, that's what matters," Carlisle reminded him, neither surprised or disappointed by Edward's words. He turned away from his family to address the wolves, hands folded behind his back as he shot each of them a pleasant smile. "Welcome. Jasper has experience with newborns, he'll teach us how to defeat them."

"They want to know how the newborns differ from us," Edward announced from behind him.

"They're a great deal stronger than us because their own human blood lingers in their tissues," Carlisle said. "Our kind is never more physically powerful than in the first several months of this life."

Jasper stepped up beside him then, the two exchanging a nod as Carlisle gravitated back to Esme's side. "Carlisle's right, that's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, but no human army could stand against them. Now, the two most important things to remember are, first: never let them get their arms around you, they'll crush you instantly. And second, never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that, and you will lose."

He gave the wolves a pointed glare with his second fact, causing Sam and a few of the other shifters to give a disgruntled growl, unimpressed with his lack of faith in them. Jasper ignored the sound as he turned his back on the pack, gesturing for Emmett to join him in the centre of the clearing. The rest of the Cullens cleared away to give them space, Alice moving to sit beside Shay, their arms brushing at her close proximity. 

"Don't hold back," Jasper shot at his brother, who scoffed at him.

"Not in my nature," Emmett smirked, jumping up and down on the spot eagerly.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he was running towards Jasper, colliding against him and dragging him through the dirt. Shay struggled to keep up with their movements, their bodies mere blurs of colour that dashed around the clearing. Occasionally, she caught a glimpse of a punch or a kick landing against marble skin, but she had no idea what was happening before Emmett ended up on the ground, coughing at the impact and groaning in annoyance.

"Never lose focus," Jasper grinned before striding away.

"Not what you expected?" Alice giggled, to which Shay continued to stare at Alice's brothers with wide eyes.

Up next was Edward and Carlisle. Neither made a move for a moment, simply staring each other down with furrowed brows. Then, at the same time, they both rushed towards the other. At the last second, Edward leaped through the air, Carlisle dropping to his knees and sliding underneath him to avoid his body. Before Shay knew it, they were sprinting back, grabbing each other around the neck and pushing and shoving until eventually, Carlisle ended up on the floor with Edward standing above him victoriously.

"One more thing," Jasper called out as Carlisle suddenly shot up, grabbing hold of Edward and dragging him to the ground beside him. "Never turn your back on your enemy."

Soon enough, it was Jasper and Rosalie's turn. By then, Shay didn't know what to expect. She'd known that Emmett would lose his fight, his brash nature pretty clear to her even though she hadn't known him for long. Jasper was more calculated with his movements, Emmett was quick and used brute strength instead of brains. But Edward and Carlisle had come as a surprise to her. She'd thought for sure that Edward would win, what with his mind reading powers and all. But Carlisle had proved that even brains wouldn't always help you in a fight, so Shay had no clue what to expect from Jasper and Rosalie, who were both pretty calculated.

Rosalie was the first to make a move. With a grunt, she swung her fist at Jasper's head, her brother narrowly dodging the hit and matching every one of Rosalie's with his own. Shay could barely keep up with them, and soon, Rosalie was being thrown through the air, landing on her feet with ease. Then she was running back to Jasper, every hit carefully packed with power. They continued their fight until it was decided that neither would win, both too good to lose. It made Shay wonder how they were so experienced.

Soon, it was Alice's turn, and Shay could barely watch. In a moment of weakness, she found herself latching onto Bella's arm nervously, gripping the other girl's sleeve as she watched Alice face Jasper, who was double her size and far stronger than her. But as Shay came to find out, Alice was a pretty good fighter. Her small frame allowed for quick movements that even Jasper struggled to keep up with, the blonde boy searching all around the clearing for Alice, who darted up into trees and around him in circles until eventually, she surprised him from a tree branch and launched herself onto his back, sending him crashing to the floor with a light laugh.

As she stood up, proud of her achievement, Shay let go of Bella's arm with a warm face. Bella simply smirked at her, congratulating Alice as the wolves began to disperse, the training session coming to an end.

"So what did you think?" Alice asked Shay, helping the human girl to her feet with a grin.

"Well, it wasn't what I expected," Shay hummed, thinking back to the embarrassing moment where she clung to Bella in worry. "You did good, though."

"Oh, really? I'm surprised you noticed since you spent most of your time holding onto Bella," Alice smirked as Shay began to stutter. "Were you worried about me, love?"

"Of course not," Shay scoffed. Alice didn't believe her a second, though, her head thrown back in an amused laugh. "Don't laugh at me, it's not funny."

"Okay okay, I'm sorry," she sighed, her laughter fading into faint giggles. She sent Shay another one of her looks, causing the latter's stomach to flutter with butterflies. The feeling sky-rocketed when Alice shyly reached for her hand, holding onto it with caution. "Why don't I take you home now?"

"Sure," Shay mumbled, eyeing Alice's hand in hers and finding that she didn't mind the touch. If anything, she wanted Alice to hold on and never let go. The thought scared her a tiny bit, but not enough for her to pull away.

So with their fingers intertwined, Alice Cullen and Shay Chambers left the clearing, neither wanting their moment to end.

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AFTER THEY ARRIVED BACK at the Cullen home, Alice drove Shay back to her house in her beloved yellow porsche, both way too happy for what was to come. Shay was disappointed when Alice pulled into her driveway, parking the car and turning in her seat to send Shay a soft smile. The more time she spent with Alice, the more she seemed to fall.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Alice said, as if sensing Shay's feelings. "Emmett and Rose are on patrol tonight, so you don't have to worry about Riley coming back. He won't get through us and the wolves."

Now that Shay was also threatened by the newborns, the Cullens and the pack had extended their protection detail to her too. During the day, there'd be at least one of the wolves at her house watching in case a vampire was to come for her, and during the night, the Cullens would pair up and take their place. Shay wasn't sure what to make of this plan at first, especially since she didn't know the wolves and didn't think it was fair for them to take time out of their own lives to watch over her, but according to Alice, that was what they were made to do. And there was no way she or the rest of her family could stand by and let something happen to her either, so Shay would just have to accept their help.

"I'll see you later," she returned Alice's smile, hesitating only for an instant before she was leaving the car and making her way up the drive.

She could hear Alice's car running behind her. As she reached the porch steps, Alice climbed out of the porsche too, following after Shay with a purpose shining in her eyes. "Shay, wait!"

Shay turned around, meeting Alice's determined gaze in surprise. As Alice came to a stop before her, Shay thought back to that night last week when she and Alice stood there in the darkness, shopping bags around their feet and shy smiles on their faces. A week wasn't that long, but to Shay, it seemed like all the time in the world had passed. So much had changed for her in that one week. She learned about the supernatural, had a run-in with the missing Riley Biers, and the butterflies she'd occasionally feel around Alice Cullen began to multiply, forming a permanent home in her stomach. Shay probably should feel more overwhelmed than she was, but as she stood looking into Alice's eyes, all she could think of was her and the opportunity she lost to kiss her at that party.

"There's something I've wanted to try since last night," Alice said, seemingly reading Shay's thoughts. The latter's face burned as Alice's eyes lingered on her lips nervously. "Can I kiss you, Shay?"

Shay didn't stop to say anything as she stepped forward, hands reaching for Alice's face as she pressed her lips to hers. The kiss was short, sweet. But it was unlike any other kiss Shay had before. Tyler Crowley and Lauren Mallory paled in comparison to Alice Cullen. Shay was on top of the world kissing her; for a moment, she almost forgot the newborn vampires that were coming from them. And Alice did too, until reality seemed to come crashing down and she stepped away, a giddy smile on her face.

"So that was... something," Shay mumbled, immediately wishing she'd stayed quiet as her face burned with embarrassment.

But Alice only giggled at her, one hand reaching up to rest on her jaw for a moment. "I hope that was the first kiss of many, Shay Chambers."

Shay sighed, leaning into the touch before slowly stepping away, "I hope so too."

With one last goodbye, the two girls parted ways. Shay watched Alice's porsche reverse out of the driveway before she turned and went inside. The moment she stepped through the door, Seb and Cora jumped away from the window, their eyes wide and lips tugged into teasing grins.

"You and Alice Cullen, huh?" Sebastian winked.

"I knew it," Cora cheered, clapping her hands in excitement.

Shay blushed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, shaking her head and walking away with the both of them hot on her heels, "Oh, not a word, you two."