The La Push Protectors.

At least, that was the excuse, no, I take that back, the story that these people gave the entire student body of La Push High. They cleared up all the rumors that were flying around in the school about their absence by calling themselves the Protectors. They were not doing drugs or were a part of a rebellious gang Sam Uley created, but they were a part of his group of chosen ones on protecting La Push.

Of course, since I was a freshman at the time, I believed everything that my fellow senior classmates told. I admired them-so of course I believed them. But even back then, their stories never made that much sense and I had always found it peculiar on how our tribe council supported them or was even a part of it. Because, and let's be honest, who in their right mind would let a bunch of young teenage boys stay out in all hours of the night and excuse them from school? One 'explanation' that I came up with was that the boys just never looked to be their age; they all looked to be in their twenties instead of high school students. So I thought Okay, they look old enough, maybe they let them stay out because they can protect themselves.

So, I stayed out of La Push politics and tried to push my uneasy thoughts away.

I tried to occupy my mind by 'admiring' the seniors from the Protectors every year. They were the perfect candidates for being my eye candy. For example, freshman year I fawned over Paul and Jared even though Jared was already going out with Kim. Sophomore year I drooled over Jacob, Embry, and Quil during their senior year since they never had a steady girlfriend; they preferred the flings, especially Embry. Now, on my junior year, I used to admire Seth, Brady, and Collin for everything they've been doing to protect our tiny joke of a town. I thought that everyone in Sam's group were really cool even though I never spoke to them a day in my life since they were all older than me.

I had always wanted to know more about Sam's group and what he does to help around. So I asked the person who would know-my great uncle Tunde. He is one of the members of the Tribe council, so I thought it was best to ask him. When I did ask, his deep chocolate brown eyes darkened to a coal black as he answered in a monotonous tone that it was nothing I should concern myself over with and should just forget about it. After that, his demeanor changed to his regular quirky self.

"Want some ice cream Tori? I have your favorite in the freezer."

I gave him my best smile and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Thanks a ton Uncle Tunde."

After that incident, the peculiar feelings I had about the group two years ago came back with full force. I always asked myself the same question every day and every night: What are they hiding? I knew very well that I could not just snoop around as much as I wanted or ask anyone else to join my little 'quest' on figuring out the truth, for everyone in town would find out in less than an hour. I tried to come up with a plan on how to investigate, yet everything I thought of had bad consequences. So I let it off, waiting with anticipation for an opportunity to shine through.

My window of opportunity came a few months ago.

It was in the middle of March and I had just arrived home from school. Since it was a Friday, I threw all my school books and book bag on my bed and headed to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. As I was about to eat it, my father came downstairs and found me. He looked stressed. His shoulders were tense and he kept fiddling with his fingers, a habit he always had whenever something was bothering him.

"Papa, what's wrong?" I asked as I put my very appetizing and delicious sandwich down.

He gave out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his hair trying to tame it, even though his hair was just fine before he put his fingers in. "I just got a phone call from the hospital about your uncle Tunde."

Panic and a feeling of dread came over me, not wanting repeat of the same situation that had happened two years ago. "Is he ok? What happened?"

He waved his hand in the air trying to calm me down. "Don't worry, he's fine, it's just that he called the hospital claiming that he was feeling unwell and as he got there, they did some tests on him and found out that he has cancer. Breast cancer."

My eyes widened at the sudden news. "Breast cancer? How?"

Papa shrugged his shoulder. "The way of life, Tori. It's just the way of life. The good thing about this though is that they caught it just in time. They are going to begin treatment soon."

Relief washed over me, glad that something could be done about this. "So, he'll live, right?"

"The chances are that he will, however, it's cancer. Never underestimate cancer."

We stayed quiet for a while. I was eating my sandwich while my dad just sat with his thoughts. He broke the silence after asking me to make him a sandwich as well. "I was thinking," he began, once I gave him his sandwich, "if you could visit your uncle more often. Make sure everything is okay, he has everything he needs and all that. I would do it, but-"

I blocked out everything he was saying after I heard visit your uncle more often. I silently thanked God and my father for giving me a plan on a platter. I smiled at my dad and waved off his explanations. "Papa, don't worry. I will definitely visit him! In fact, I could visit him everyday after school if you don't mind. We can catch up, digress in memories that he has about you, and his fantastic stories."

My dad smiled at the thought. "You're wonderful Victoria. God definitely has blessed you with a beautiful heart."

At that moment, he made me feel a little guilty. I was using my uncle's sickness as a way to get closer to the truth about Sam and the guys, not out of kindness, even though, I really did want to be around my uncle Tunde. God, please forgive me if I am acting out of selfishness, because, honestly, I am not sure if I am or not. I nodded at my father's comment and blushed a bit. "Papa, stop." He chuckled at my sudden shyness and ate his sandwich.

On Monday after school, I kept my promise and visited my uncle Tunde.

"Tori! What a pleasure! Come in!"

I smiled at my uncle and sat across from his favorite rocking chair. "Thanks for letting me come uncle Tunde! I just hope you don't get sick of seeing my face everyday now." He chuckled at my response. "Nonsense! You're always welcome!"

I spent my entire afternoons there everyday for the next three months, from 2:45 pm to 7 pm. As I did my homework, he always talked to me about my father and how much of a worry wart he had always been. Never has been that confident in himself until he began to hang around with my mother Lizette. My uncle Tunde said that they met when she transferred to the La Push High. She was half Mexican and half Quileute, and my father seemed to have been attracted to 'latina' side. She was always out, hanging around and one of the most sociable people he had ever known.

From then on, they were friends until their senior year when my dad finally had the courage to ask her out. My mother smiled and exclaimed that her prayers had finally been answered, because she was losing her patience and was getting tired of waiting.

Then, when they turned twenty, they got married.

Then when they were twenty four, they had me.

I paid attention with everything he told me, but I was always waiting for him to slip on something, waiting for him to reveal something about Sam and the others.

That moment came when my father visited Uncle Tunde the week before school was out for summer vacation. He came over for dinner. Uncle Tunde and Papa were talking in the living room while I was in the kitchen preparing dinner. I was about to call them over to eat, when I overheard my dad say, "I am actually proud of those boys. Sam has a good grip on all of them as Alpha, but you can tell that Jacob will surpass him."

I looked through the key hole of the adjoining door to the living room and kitchen. My Uncle Tunde nodded in agreement with my father. "Yes. Billy's son is remarkable as expected with the genes. Paul and Jared are not that far behind. They matured greatly once they phased. I was surprised that they were able to phase back from wolf form and human form pretty quickly."

My father nodded. "Yes, but not as quickly as Harry's son Seth. Did you know that he phased back to his human form on the same day he phased as a wolf?"

Uncle Tunde's face broke out into a grin. "Yes! Extraordinary work!"

I looked away from the key hole and rummaged around the kitchen to make it seem that I was still working. As I was satisfied with most of the noise, I returned back into my place.

"Uncle, all in all, they are good boys. All nine of them, including Leah, of course. They make a great wolf pack. Definitely not a force to be reckoned with."

My uncle seemed to show some pride when he smiled. "Of course! But remember, back in your day, you were pretty good as well."

My eyes widened like saucers once I heard this. My father was one of them?

My dad smiled. "Yeah, I guess. I stopped phasing once I had Victoria though. It would cause Liz to stress out, and I wanted to be there for both of my girls."

As soon as he said that I breathed in and out and opened the door, abruptly interrupting their conversation. "Sorry, gentlemen, but dinner is ready! I made Uncle Tunde's favorite tonight!"

The men smiled and quickly went into the kitchen. Uncle Tunde smiled at me and said, "Thank you Tori! You have no idea how much I have been craving lasagna!"

As we ate, I smiled at their jokes and laughed when it was called for, but my brain was working in overdrive thinking on what they were talking about because werewolves did not exist.

That Friday night, I did not sleep. As soon as I was sure that my father was out like a light, I slowly crept down the stairs towards my father's 'office'. I went in his study and began pulling out books that were related to a specific Quileute legend. The legend of how men morphed into abnormal sized wolves to defeat the 'Cold Ones'. While researching, I wished that Billy Black was here. I wanted him to re-tell his stories instead of making me research. However, I found what I was looking for, but not in a historical book.

I found it when I stumbled upon a copy of the tribe council's many books that they kept among themselves. I read them, studied them, memorized them, and believed them.

Everything fit, everything was connected. Everything finally made sense now.

Now I understood why the boys grew abnormally, why they are out on all hours of the night and was excused. Now I understood why Kim and Rachel and Emily Young were always around the boys. I finally understood everything.

However, as accomplished as I felt in figuring out this mystery that took me my entire junior year to figure out, I wished I didn't know about it, because if someone found out about it outside of the tribe or the group, there was a grave consequence that followed.

Death.

At least, I think it is death, otherwise, what other way can you interpret 'eternal silence'?