Book One
Bella
No one is staring at you. I promised myself. No one is staring at you. No one is staring at you.
But, because I couldn't lie convincingly even to myself, I had to check.
As I sat waiting for one of the three traffic lights in town to turn green, I peeked to the right- A pale boy staring straight at me, I frowned and turned away. Wasn't it rude to stare at people?
Then I remembered that these windows were so darkly tinted that he probably just staring at the car.
My car. Sigh.
I looked at him again, he had a confused expression on his face. In his blue eyes I managed to find sadness and hurt. The boy was even paler than me, I noticed he wasn't looking at me nor the car.
He was zoned out. Suddenly he was gone, covered by Mrs. Weber's minivan. I flinched and tried to avoid her glaring eyes, I glanced to the left and rolled my eyes. Two pedestrians were frozen on the sidewalk, missing their chance to cross as they stared.
The image of the boy came to mind, his intense blue eyes covered by long shadowy lashes under dark black eyebrows. I shook my head and as the light marked green, I gently tapped the pedal avoiding another rush like just seconds before stopping at the stoplight.
I made my way to the gas station in no time, I got the nozzle in the tank within seconds, trying not to take long out in sight. It felt like everyone had their eyes on the sparkling ring on my left hand.
But wait, did I really care about what people said about my engagement? About the new car? About my mysterious acceptance at an Ivy League college? About the black credit card that felt red-hot in my back pocket right now?
Bella: "Yeah, who cares what they think." I muttered under my breath.
?: "Um, miss?" a man's voice called.
I turned and then wished I hadn't.
Two men were standing beside a shiny SUV. They were both staring at my new car.
I didn't get it. My car was glossy black, sleek, and pretty, but it was still a car to me. Nothing special.
?: "I'm sorry to bother you, but could you tell me what kind of car you're driving?" the tall one asked.
Bella: "It's a Mercedes."
?: "Yes," the man said politely while his shorter friend rolled his eyes at my answer. " I know. But I was wondering, is that…are you driving a Mercedes Guardian?"
I rolled my eyes. I put away the nozzle and got into the front seat. I started the engine and stepped on the pedal leaving the two annoying men behind. Well that was a weird thing to do, Bella.
On the way home I couldn't avoid noticing the flyers stapled to telephone posts and taped to street signs. Flyers of my mechanic.
My best friend. My Jacob.
Those flyers were all over the Olympic Peninsula. Thinking about Jacob immediately brought tears to my eyes. As I got home I pulled out my cell phone and called the Clearwater's, luckily Seth answered. I asked him if he knew something about him, He said that Jacob tries hard to keep his location out of his mind so the pack won't know where he is. He actually tries not to think, all Seth knows is that Jake's in northern Canada. One thing's for sure: Jacob isn't coming back.
I walked slowly through the light rain, remembering the boy on the sidewalk….
