nineteen.
::bad dream::

"i hear it calling down in my soul, grippin' my bones, it won't let go"
—ruelle

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Althea had begun to have a little recurring schedule, after her two classes. Every time she was finished with her own school day she would head over to Emily's. The woman would keep her busy while they either cleaned or baked in the house. It was something just to keep their minds off of where the pack was.
Sometimes Kim, Jared's imprint, would join them. But other than that, it usually was quiet around the house with the shifters out looking for the red-headed vampire. Even when they would switch a patrol group out late in the night, the other members would go sleep before they were back out searching again. It gave none of the girls time to see any of the shifters during the day.

Something that began to really take a toll on Althea in just that week was the dull ache she felt not seeing Paul. Before it all, before she knew about the imprint bond, she had felt the small ache when the boy hadn't talked to her around the time that Jacob had phased. It made her feel like she was a kicked puppy in a way though she took it as just a stupid unreciprocated teenage crush.

But now she really could tell the difference. Though the imprint bond was invisible, it could still be felt. It might not have been at it strongest yet between the two but it was still very much there. Which made her start feeling like she was a lemon being squeezed out of all her fullness. She felt like she was missing a piece of herself. And through their connection, Paul's tiredness from searching for the vampire around the land was impacting Althea. There were small dark circles under her eyes from her own tiredness that had begun to form. Even though she was able to get sleep compared to the male shifter who was lucky enough to get at most an hour of sleep in, she still felt like she could sleep for a month. A quick little hibernation appeared to be what her body was yearning for. It was as if her whole body was being drained of her soul and spirit.

What had occurred to be a little out of the ordinary for the girl one day after she had gotten out of her early classes and was driving towards Emily's was the familiar orange pickup truck parked on the side of the road. Althea was quick to pull over to the side, parking behind the truck. Her eyes scanned around the area until they landed on her sister in the distance standing on the cliffside where the boys tended to jump from in their free time. A heaviness fell upon Althea, a sense that something bad was going to happen. Her eyes looked over the area before she could even think clearly her legs started pulling her quickly through the trees. Trying her best to make it to Bella, especially before she did something stupid and reckless.

"Bella! What the hell are you doing?" Althea called out to her sisters once she came out on the cliff. Bella turned to look back to her younger sister.

"It's the only way I can see him," Bella let out.

Who? Jesus? Althea couldn't help but think before her thoughts fell onto one name.

Edward.

"This isn't right. It's stupid. Especially with how bad the waves are coming in," Althea tried to talk her out of the idea.

"Al, please. I need to see him," Bella pleaded.

"I'm not letting you kill yourself by doing something as reckless as this. Especially from this high up. Why don't you wait for warmer weather and try it from lower down," Althea said.

"No. I have to do this," Bella shook her head. Althea yanked her older sister's arm back, to bring her a little more away from the edge.

Althea stared at Bella with a sad look on her own face. Shaking her head, "I don't understand how you think this will make you see Edward again. He left Bella, he won't come back in the blink of an eye just because you want to put yourself in danger. It might have worked once. But right now, it won't."

"I have to try."

While Althea opened her mouth about to say something, she stopped herself when she felt it. As if someone or something was coming towards them. Her eyes scanned the tree-line until her eyes fell onto a flash of red. Then she heard growling echoing in the distance. Victoria was getting closer and the pack wasn't too far behind. Althea's eyes widened before looking at the chaotic water below them. Knowing it was a bad idea, it was the only option she saw. The only way to protect them from the menacing vampire who was running through the woods.

"Alright, sorry, Bells. But you better be good at swimming," Althea let out before she pulled Bella with her as they jumped off the cliff.

The coldness of the water hit the girl's like a real slap in the face. They were quick to resurface, Bella had a smile on her face. She was able to see Edward and hear him for a split second. Even though it was really just her own consciousness telling her not to be stupid and reckless. But Althea still felt like they weren't safe.

"Get that stupid shit-eating grin off your face and start swimming to the shore," Althea demanded, tugging at her sister to go. Kicking her own feet to keep her up, Althea swam behind Bella. The two sisters slowed down once they heard the roaring sound in the distance. Turning to see a huge wave crashing towards them, they were quick to go under the water, holding their breaths. Bella was able to kick away under the water. Getting closer towards the shore, while Althea had struggled. Fighting against the rough water, she got thrown back under another wave during a moment where she tried to get air.

The younger girl's eyes scanned the water until her they soon landed on the fiery red in the distance getting closer to her. Althea began to swim backwards to get away from the vampire whose proximity grew nearer to her own. Her mind instantly went into fight or flight mode even though she was submerged under water.

When Victoria went to grab at Althea, the Swan girl was faster. Something came over her which seemed to be enough to yank on Victoria's arm and in a quick manner, the vampire's arm was quick to snap underneath the water. It left the vampire in shock by the action, but it also consumed her with pain and anger. She shoved the girl away from her with much force causing Althea to hit the rocks. Her head bounced off the rock wall like a tennis ball. Althea's blurry vision only caught sight of Victoria's retreating swimming figure before all she saw was darkness.

While Paul was chasing after the red-headed vampire with the pack, they had lost her in the ocean. But he was quick to pick up on the emotions that ran through Althea's body. The fear. And Jacob's wolf looked to Paul's catching the scent of Bella and Althea mixed with the vampire's repulsive smell.

"They couldn't have gone in the water, could they?" Paul panicked before rushing through the woods with Jacob on his tail.

"I don't know," Jacob let out.

Paul had slowed in his running pace when he felt it. The pain and heaviness. It was like his heart was being shredded to pieces. He let out a howl in pain.

Althea's heartbeat had stopped.

Once she had passed out under the water, she seemed to sink further down as the water consumed her.

Jacob, Paul, and Sam had made it down to the beach. Paul was quick to dive into the water while Jacob rushed to check on Bella who had washed up on shore. The older girl was quick to come to, her eyes searching for Althea to see Paul rushing from the water with the limp girl in his arms. He placed her down, quick to start doing CPR.

He was determined. She couldn't be gone. He wouldn't survive without her. There was only hope clouding his mind in that moment. Paul Lahote wasn't giving up on his imprint. Especially when he barely got to be with her yet because of all of the blood-suckers lurking around. He had just got Althea and he'd be damned if he let her be taken from him. They still had so much of their lives to spend together. The shifter couldn't give up.

"Paul," Sam stood behind the boy. Jacob had moved away from Bella before kneeling beside Althea's unresponsive body.

"Come on," Paul mumbled. Continuing to push on her chest before squeezing her nose and breathing air into her mouth.

"Althea, you gotta wake up," Jacob's voice cracked looking down at his best friend. The girl he would still love no matter what. Little Miss Sunshine couldn't go away. It wasn't her time yet. They needed her to wake up. She was strong. Althea Swan had so much strength, her body couldn't fail her. Not right now.

"Come on, baby. Don't leave me. Open your eyes. Please, open your eyes," Paul had seemed to cry out in frustration. Staring down at the girl in desperation. Glimpses of their future memories flashing through his mind again.

Though Althea had been met with darkness and silence. She had soon accepted that she was dead. Drowning. More like being suffocated by water. Her heart had stopped beating. But her spirit still hovered close by. Still attached to her body.

Bardo.

A slight glow began to fill the darkness, Althea's spirit squinted her eyes. Seeing the shadow figure of a woman. As she got closer Althea picked up on her beauty along with long dark hair that pooled over her shoulders and down her back.

Althea's ears began to ring, hearing a crow cawing in the distance. It made her extremely confused, but the woman looked at her with a kind-hearted smile before she placed a kiss on her cheek. She then leaned down closer to the Swan girl's ear, whispering. And as she began to whisper, multiple more whispers began to fill Althea's ears into her head. It became overwhelming for her. Once the lady pulled away from Althea, her eyes seemed to flash a silver. Althea's mimicked hers before the Swan girl let out a scream. A scream that echoed through the space that she was in. The whispers silenced becoming drowned out by the scream that rippled out of her throat before Althea fell to the ground in the spirit world.

On the beach, Paul fell to his butt in slight defeat with tears falling from his eyes once Sam put a hand on his shoulder. An action to get him to stop. That the girl was gone. Paul felt cold.

Jacob was crying as Bella looked on in shock. Her body froze in place while she stared down at Althea. The shifters informed her that her heart was still and she was still without a pulse. Bella's mind ran rampant thinking about how her younger sister had just died. Unsure of how to react. How would anyone else react? How would the Cullen's react?

Paul's tears continued to flow down from his eyes. He was in denial. It had to be a cruel joke on him. He tightly closed his eyes, trying to keep his cool and not let his anger and frustration take ahold of him which would lead him to phase. He needed to stay with her body.

However, Paul was quick to stare down at Althea once he felt it in his chest. It felt like a jumpstart to his heart. An electrical current flowing through him electrifying him back to life. More warmness flooded through his body before he caught Althea's finger begin to twitch. Sam moved around to get a better look at the girl once his hearing caught the low thump that came from her small figure. And not long after, she began to cough up the water. With one loud gasp, her eyes flew open and she sat up. Sam's eyes widened once he saw her eyes flash a silver. It was confusing to him. And now it was at the top of his list to ask the elders. Hopefully Billy would know or Old Quil given the fact Harry had just died from his heart attack caused by Victoria.

Althea was pulled into Paul's arms quickly. The tense girl instantly relaxed in his comforting hold. She looked to Bella, Jacob, then Sam before turning to Paul.

"Your heart stopped. I thought we lost you. I thought I lost you," Paul rushed out the words.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere," Althea tried to comfort the boy. But her mind was going all over the place. She had died. And she saw some lady. Now she was alive. It was just as confusing to her as it was to the other four who were also on the beach.

"Victoria, she was in the water," Althea told them.

"She's long gone for now," Sam let Althea know.

"What else happened?" Althea questioned. She was quick to catch on to the atmosphere surrounding all five of them. The feeling of death hovering over her, she just didn't know if it was because she technically died or if it was something else.

"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack. He didn't make it," Jacob informed her. The girl let out a small gasp of shock. Harry wasn't meant to die. What about his family?

"Can we go see, Sue? And Seth and Leah?" Althea instantly worried.

Sam shook his head, "We need to get you to a hospital."

"No, I don't want to go," Althea said.

"Althea, you quite literally died and came back to life," Jacob told her.

"Yeah, and I don't want them to ask me a million questions right now. Can't we just get me checked out on the rez or something? I promise you I'm fine," Althea begged. She looked into Paul's brown eyes that softened at her stare.

"I'll get you back to Emily's and she can look over you," Paul said.

"I gotta head to the Clearwaters, Charlie's already there. I'll tell him you're staying at Emily's for the night. And get Bella home, Jake," Sam ordered.

Paul had not let the girl go since she had opened her eyes back up. He was afraid that once he did, she would slip away. Like he was in a dream right now. And any moment he would wake up and she would actually be gone forcing him to live a nightmare.

Emily had looked over the girl but had found nothing out of the ordinary. She even pointed out for Paul to listen to her heart and it still beat the same it always did. But they knew something was different. Althea was looking more off into the distance spacing out when they were talking. She was still trying to comprehend everything she saw. Who was that woman? Why was she there? And there were small whispers sounding like they were in the distance like a rain cloud slowly traveling in.

And while Sam was at the Clearwaters, he had gone off in a separate room to talk with Billy Black about the events that had unfolded on the beach. The older man was shocked to hear the news but even more shocked by what Sam was explaining to him. Once the alpha described the way Althea's eyes flashed silver the very moment she came to, Billy let out an incoherent mumble. He had a hunch of what it all meant. But it left the older man also nervous while still surprised. Althea had been more tied up in the legends and their world than they had initially thought. And Billy was unsure of what the future held for all of them because of that.