One Wrong Turn (Jon/Katelyn/Lucy/Kaleb)

[Kenzie Karter]

It had been one rough semester for Kenzie thus far. Senior classes weren’t hard, but the separation from Jon made them all the more difficult to get through. She understood that he had duties to his pack to fulfill, but at the same time she missed just spending time with her wonderful boyfriend that she loved so much. Most of all, she just missed being in his arms while the rest of the world passed by without notice. Being with Jon made everything better, no matter what she was feeling right then and there. Her heart belonged to him as his did to her, regardless of imprinting or not. Everything about him made her adore him even more from the way he smiled when he was up to something to the glimmer in his green eyes when he was near her. And then there was the moments when he would take her into his arms and simply kiss her gently, yet passionately. It was perfect. Bliss. But now that she was in school again, she rarely got to go out to La Push to see him because of her studies and dance, which took up a chunk of her time. And so when the opportunity presented itself, she would always jump at the chance to drive to La Push to see him.

Today was such a day. It was mid-November, so the snow on the ground was perfect and light. Kenzie stared out her window at the beauty of the day, wondering what Jon was up to. In the span of about fifteen seconds, she decided to drive out to La Push to see him. Grabbing her coat, purse, and keys, she ran downstairs and out the door to her car. Within a minute, she was inside and the engine was started. She waited impatiently for five minutes to allow her car to warm up before backing out of her driveway. As she made the drive, she reduced her speed just in case there was any ice on the roads between Forks and La Push. The winter weather was beautiful around her as she drove; everything was perfect for her visit to Jon. Or so she thought…

The next thing Kenzie knew, a truck came roaring from around the corner and skidded on a patch of ice, colliding right into her own car. Everything went black. Kenzie faded in and out of consciousness as she heard the blaring of sirens, voices, and a saw cutting into her car. ”This is the worst accident I’ve seen in this area in nearly twenty years,” she heard one voice declare, followed by another. ”Someone needs to call Chief Karter.” Kenzie could feel herself begin to panic. Oh please, don’t call my daddy…he’ll worry too much and then mom…oh god. The thoughts whirred through her mind rapidly about Lucy, Katelyn, her parents, and then Jon. Jon…oh Jon… And then everything went black again.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn sat in her room, working on her major English project for the semester. It was due the next Monday, so she had to get it done now. She had been locked away in her room for the better part of the last three afternoons getting it done, but was proud of the results thus far. It was a complete model of a Shakespearean stage, complete with actors setting a scene from Romeo and Juliet, which she considered to be his greatest work of all time. Everything was almost done, including the balcony where Juliet was standing and the garden below where Romeo stood. Her friends all thought she was way beyond obcessed with the Shakespeare thing, but she didn’t care. It was her passion and drive in school now, which was a good thing since she was a senior and had a bad case of senioritis already.

About an hour into her work, she decided to take a breather and go downstairs for a snack. She walked into the kitchen to find her mother on the phone, looking stark white and grim. Katelyn walked over to the fridge and took out a jar of pickles right as her mother hung up the phone and looked at her. ”Mom, what’s wrong?” she asked. Her mother looked at her with tears in her eyes. ”Sweetie, that was Kenzie’s mom on the phone. Kenzie’s been in an accident,” she began calmly. ”She’s in the hospital in a coma.” Katelyn registered what her mother said just about the time the glass jar of pickles hit the floor and shattered. She backed into the fridge and couldn’t breathe. ”Oh God…not Kenzie…I…I need to get to the hospital right now.” Katelyn ran back upstairs as fast as she could, throwing on a pair of shoes and grabbing her jacket and keys before bolting out the door. She raced to Forks Hospital and bolted through the doors, asking for Kenzie Karter’s room. When she walked in, Kenzie’s parents were already there and she immediately went to her best friend’s side. ”Kenz…” she croaked, holding in tears as she held her hand. ”Kenz, please be okay….please.”

A few minutes later, she stepped outside and called Lucy's cell phone, wondering if Lucy knew yet. When it went to voicemail, she knew that she was probably running errands or out with Kaleb. She left a voicemail, holding back tears. "Luce...you need to come to the hospital...Kenzie was in an accident, real bad. Just please hurry." She hung up the phone and paced the hallway outside of Kenzie's room before making another call to Jon. This one would be way worse. She got his voicemail as well, but left a tearful message. "Jon, it's Kate...you need to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Kenzie was in a wreck. Please come quickly." After hanging up, she hit her back against the wall and sank to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and sobbing.

[Jonathan Whiteman]

Let me sleep in your arms.
Let me breathe.
This clean bright light surrounding you...

   The dark nothingness unexpectedly melted straight into a blinding light, so bright and sharp that it should have made Jon scrunch his eyes into the slightest slivers. Yet he found himself perfectly able to look around into white nothingness that should nearly have blinded him...

Will you think about me every now and then,
When I call again...?

   The white emptiness was growing dimmer like the static on a television shushing its way gently to its picture, and Jon found his eyes circling round, searching in unexplainable worry for something... What the something was, he wasn't sure...

Let me sleep in your arms.
Let me breathe,
This clean bright light surrounding you...

   The white, blinding emptiness began to grow denser in spots and less potent in others, melting into something like the outermost stretches of La Push beach... but this all-too-familiar 'home' of his was not was his eyes needed. They frantically searched about, his head swinging this way and that with his body in tow, searching for something that he desperately- no, not desperately. To lose the desperately-needed leaves a deep wound; to lose the essence of your existence shoots the fatal blow. And it was now that losing this search would equal Jon's fingers falling from his grip on life... Or would he pry them from it himself?

   He felt his grip begin to slacken-- she was gone--

   Then, just as the final panic set in, it was gone: the face of of love, of life, of the essence of meaning had grown into view: there, at the beach's far end, stood his perfect, heart-stopping, wonderful Kenzie. Her beautiful auburn hair was gently waving in the breeze, and even this far away, Jon could see the bliss-inducing grin spread across her face, just waiting to send him all light-headed and giddy. Even here, he could see her lips silently form the words "hey, stranger," and the unavoidable, goofy grin of his spread across his face like flames licking at old newspaper.

   He began running at a light, though hurried, pace for the meaning of his life; any time spent without her had no meaning, regardless of alpha commands. And to feel her in his strangely cold and empty arms would be the water to his desert of a life without her.

status: incomplete